The European Space Agency (ESA) is preparing to launch its Proba-3 mission, a pair of spacecraft designed to study the Sun’s corona. Initially scheduled for Wednesday, the launch has been delayed due to a technical issue in the Proba-3 spacecraft. The new launch date is Thursday, December 5.
The ESA will rely on the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) to host the second mission: Proba-3. The pair of spacecraft, weighing a total of 550 kg, will be launched onboard a PSLV-XL rocket and separated from each other about 18 minutes into the mission. Ground controllers expect to establish signal with both spacecraft around 25 minutes later.
The mission’s highly elliptical orbit is designed to allow for six hours of observational time, 50 times per year, as the two spacecraft work in tandem to create a localized total solar eclipse. The occulter spacecraft needs to line up with the coronagraph spacecraft with an accuracy of about one millimeter.
ESA has partnered with over 40 companies, including Redwire Space and Sener, to develop this mission. They aim to demonstrate new technologies and concepts in orbit, which will benefit future missions such as discovering exoplanets and creating a virtual telescope using astronomical interferometry.
The Proba-3 spacecraft will fly in a high elliptical Earth orbit with an orbital period of 19.7 hours. Researchers expect to acquire the first images of the Sun’s corona around March 2025, after which the craft will burn up in the Earth’s atmosphere.
Source: https://spaceflightnow.com/2024/12/03/india-to-launch-eurpopes-proba-3-spacecraft-pair-to-study-the-sun-demonstrate-tandem-maneuvering-in-orbit