ESA’s Proba-3 mission, designed to create solar eclipses in space to study the Sun’s corona, has officially left European soil and is en route to its launch site in India. This dual-spacecraft mission departed from Redwire Space’s facility in Kruibeke, Belgium, to travel to the Satish Dhawan Space Centre near Chennai, where the final launch preparations are set to begin. The mission’s objective is to enable extended observation of the Sun’s corona—something only briefly visible during natural eclipses on Earth—by creating an artificial eclipse in space.

Breakthrough Formation Flying for Solar Study

Proba-3, a pioneering European Space Agency mission, is comprised of two spacecraft: the Occulter and the Coronagraph. These satellites will achieve formation flying with a precision that allows one satellite to cast a shadow on the other, creating the eclipse effect needed for corona observation. According to ESA Mission Manager Damien Galano, achieving this feat has required years of work to ensure the satellites can operate autonomously in formation with an accuracy of just one millimetre. The mission aims to offer unprecedented insights into solar phenomena by capturing detailed views of the Sun’s outer atmosphere.

Launch Details and Technical Challenges

The Proba-3 mission is scheduled to launch aboard India’s PSLV-XL rocket on 4 December. This launch will place the spacecraft pair into a highly elliptical orbit, ranging from 600 km to 60,000 km above Earth. Such an orbit is essential to allow the spacecraft’s formation flying to occur at altitudes where gravity’s pull is lessened, reducing fuel consumption. After an initial setback with air freight arrangements, where the spacecraft’s batteries had to be shipped separately, the mission is now back on schedule.

Global Collaboration and Advanced Technology

The Proba-3 mission has drawn on expertise from across 14 ESA Member States and Canada. Led by Spain’s Sener and supported by Airbus Defence and Space, the project has involved partners such as GMV and Spacebel, specialising in satellite navigation and software. Key instruments include the ASPIICS corona-imaging device from Belgium’s Royal Observatory and the DARA radiometer from Switzerland’s Physical Meteorological Observatory, designed to study solar energy output.

Pre-launch Simulations Underway

Final mission control operations will be conducted at ESA’s European Space Security and Education Centre in Redu, Belgium. Rigorous simulations and training exercises are currently underway to prepare for Proba-3’s deployment and ongoing operations in space, marking a significant milestone in space-based solar observation.