The European Space Agency’s (ESA) Proba-3 mission has successfully launched two spacecraft that will fly in formation to create artificial solar eclipses, enabling scientists to study the sun’s corona.
The European Space Agency’s (ESA) Proba-3 mission has successfully launched two spacecraft that will fly in formation to create artificial solar eclipses. This innovative approach will allow scientists to study the sun’s corona, a region of the sun’s atmosphere that is still shrouded in mystery.
The two spacecraft, which are designed to fly together in lockstep, will stay 144 meters apart with an accuracy of one millimeter. One satellite will block the sun from the perspective of the other, emulating a total solar eclipse. This will enable researchers to study the middle part of the corona, which is difficult to observe due to the intense heat and radiation emitted by the sun.
Unlike traditional methods, Proba-3’s formation-flying satellites will not be limited by the constraints of a single spacecraft. The occulter (the satellite that blocks the sun) can be placed much farther away from the observing spacecraft, reducing diffraction and allowing for sharper images to be taken.
The Proba-3 mission will set the stage for future solar science research. Precision formation-flying satellites will be useful for linking several telescopes together to act as one, effectively creating a telescope much wider than anything that can be launched from Earth.
