Proba-3 space mission satellites in orbit

The mission will open up new possibilities for studying the solar corona in detail.

Published: December 5, 2024

Share on social networks

The European Space Agency (ESA) has successfully launched the Proba-3 mission , a project that promises to transform the study of the Sun. Composed of two satellites that will fly in formation with a precision of just one millimetre, Proba-3 has the unique ability to generate artificial solar eclipses in space . This breakthrough will make it possible to observe the Sun’s atmosphere, the solar corona , with a level of detail never before achieved.

A formation flight with millimetric precision

The Proba-3 satellites were launched on December 5 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in India. One of the most innovative features of this mission is that the two satellites will have to be kept aligned with millimetre precision, simulating the behaviour of a single giant spacecraft. This will make it possible to create an artificial solar eclipse, where one of the satellites will cast a controlled shadow on the other, providing prolonged views of the solar corona .

The Proba-3 mission that will make artificial solar eclipses — The Occulter and Coronagraph ships of the mission. Source: ESA

Scientific objectives of the Proba-3 mission

Proba-3 is not only for demonstration purposes, but also for scientific purposes. During its mission, the satellites will study the behavior of the Sun and the evolution of coronal mass ejections , phenomena that can affect space weather and the solar wind. The mission fills a significant gap in the observation of the solar corona , which has so far not been possible to explore in detail due to the limitations of current coronagraphs.

Proba-3 and eclipses — The mission has the capacity to generate artificial solar eclipses. Source: ESA

Proba-3 is not only designed to study the Sun; it is also demonstrating a technology crucial for future space missions. The ability to fly in formation with millimetre precision opens up new possibilities for space science. Josef Aschbacher , ESA Director General, stressed that this type of technology could be used to create telescopes or space platforms that work together as a single system, greatly expanding observation capabilities.

The agency shared a video with the highlights of the mission. Watch it and be amazed!