Proba-3: ESA’s Formation-Flying Solar Mission Loses Contact
Why in the news
The European Space Agency reported an anomaly on one of the two Proba-3 satellites, the Coronagraph. A power failure sent it into survival mode and contact was lost.
Key facts
- Type: world’s first precision formation-flying mission.
- Target: the Sun’s outer atmosphere, the corona.
- Launch: December 2024, PSLV-C59.
| Satellite | Role |
|---|---|
| Coronagraph | Carries the imaging instrument |
| Occulter | Blocks the Sun’s bright disk |
About the mission
- Goal: an artificial eclipse in space, because the bright solar disk normally drowns out the faint corona.
- The Occulter casts a shadow on the Coronagraph.
- The pair acts as one virtual instrument, navigating on its own with lasers, cameras and cold-gas thrusters.
Exam angle
- Agency: ESA; vehicle: PSLV-C59 of ISRO.
- Satellites: Coronagraph and Occulter.