India’s Aditya L1 mission will collaborate with the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Proba-3 mission to conduct joint solar observations starting in the second quarter of 2025. Both spacecraft will use a coronagraph, an instrument designed to block the sun’s bright rays and allow astronomers to study its periphery.
The Aditya L1 mission launched in January this year and is currently operating from the Lagrange point (L1), about 1.5 million km away from Earth. Last week, India successfully launched Proba-3, a space mission with two satellites designed for flight formations that mimic solar eclipses.
Proba-3’s Association of Spacecraft for Polarimetric and Imaging Investigation of the Corona of the Sun (ASPIICS) instrument will provide a close-up view of the Sun’s corona belt, normally observable during solar eclipse events. Indian and ESA solar physicists are planning joint solar observation campaigns between Aditya L1 and Proba-3.
The ESA team is currently monitoring the twin satellites and conducting initial calibrations. The first commission phase is expected to conclude by mid-2025, after which the spacecraft pair will separate and begin check-outs. The operational phase of the mission is expected to start in about four months, with active formation flying and coronagraph observations.
The collaboration between India and ESA aims to benefit both countries’ scientific communities, enabling researchers to conduct joint solar observation campaigns and advance their understanding of the Sun’s behavior.
Source: https://indianexpress.com/article/technology/science/aditya-l1-and-proba-3-to-conduct-joint-solar-observations-in-2025-9717143