The European Space Agency (ESA) has successfully launched its Proba-3 mission to study the solar corona, a region around the Sun that is crucial for understanding space weather and the solar wind. The mission, which involves 14 ESA member states and Canada, aims to fill critical observational gaps in this field.
Two satellites, Proba-3 Occulter and Coronagraph, were launched on December 5 from India aboard a PSLV-XL rocket. The satellites will fly in precise formation, maintaining accuracy within a single millimeter, allowing them to create artificial solar eclipses in space. This advanced coordination will enable extended observations of the Sun’s faint outer atmosphere, the corona.
The Proba-3 mission is part of ESA’s General Support Technology Programme, which fosters novel technologies for space. The mission manager notes that achieving positioning accuracy down to the thickness of an average fingernail while positioned 1.5 football pitches apart is a significant technological challenge.
Scientists expect the mission to reveal new insights into the solar corona, including its role in Coronal Mass Ejections and the outward acceleration of the solar wind. The Proba-3 spacecraft pair will be separated early next year to begin individual check-outs before starting their operational phase, which includes first observations of the corona through active formation flying.
The mission was led by Sener in Spain on behalf of ESA, with contributions from 14 member states and Canada. Airbus Defence and Space built the spacecraft, while Redwire Space handled the avionics and assembly. The Proba-3 mission marks a significant step forward for European space technology and will open up new ways of working in space for the future.
Source: https://scitechdaily.com/solar-eclipses-on-demand-proba-3s-precision-satellites-enter-orbit