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The Proba-3 mission, a collaboration involving 14 ESA Member States and Canada, was launched with the goal of advancing autonomous space operations and precision maneuvering.
According to a report by Scitechdaily on Saturday, the mission focuses on the solar corona, addressing observational gaps and enhancing capabilities for precision formation flying in space.
On December 5, two ESA satellites were launched from India, marking a milestone in space technology. The Proba-3 satellites, designed to fly in precise formation with a gap of just one millimeter, will operate as a single unit. This technology will allow the creation of artificial solar eclipses in space, enabling extended study of the Sun’s faint outer atmosphere, the corona.
Proba-3 represents a groundbreaking partnership, showcasing advanced European space technology and unlocking new scientific discoveries. The mission was launched aboard a PSLV-XL rocket from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in India at 11:34 CET (10:34 GMT, 16:04 local time). The satellites separated from the rocket’s upper stage 18 minutes after liftoff.
During the commissioning phase, the two satellites will remain connected, with mission control overseeing operations from the European Space Security and Education Centre (ESEC) in Redu, Belgium.
Dietmar Pilz, ESA Director of Technology, Engineering and Quality, expressed excitement about the mission’s progress, stating, “Proba-3 has been years in the making and marks a significant achievement in space technology.”
Proba-3 mission manager Damien Galano highlighted the challenge of achieving the precise positioning required for the mission, with the satellites needing to align to within the thickness of an average fingernail, even though they are separated by 150 meters.
Radhakrishnan Durairaj, Chairman of NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), praised the launch, saying, “This ambitious mission and its precise orbit demonstrate the exceptional capabilities of ISRO and NSIL.”
The mission’s scientific goal involves the Proba-3 Occulter spacecraft, which will cast a carefully controlled shadow on the Coronagraph spacecraft, enabling solar eclipses on demand. This configuration allows for in-depth observation of the Sun’s corona without interference from stray light, a challenge that would not be achievable with a single spacecraft.
