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WG3K > ANS 16.12.24 03:01l 19 Lines 3303 Bytes #174 (0) @ AMSAT
BID : ANS350.3
Read: GUEST
Subj: ESAâ€Ös Proba-3 Satellites Launch to Create Artificial Solar
Path: IW8PGT<IZ3LSV<DB0ERF<DK0WUE<DK0WUE<VK5RSV<K7EK<KA1VSC<WG3K
Sent: 241216/0159Z 10952@WG3K.#SMD.MD.USA.NOAM LinBPQ6.0.24
Two European Space Agency (ESA) satellites launched aboard an Indian rocket on December 5th, beginning a mission to study the Sunâ€Ös corona and demonstrate new spaceflight technologies. Called the Proba-3 mission, the two spacecraft will conduct formation flying and create artificial solar eclipses to capture images of the Sun's outer atmosphere, which is usually hidden by its brightness.
The satellites launched aboard India's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) at 5:34 am EST (10:34 UTC) and were placed into an elliptical orbit with a low point of 356 miles (573 kilometers) and a high point of 37,632 miles (60,563 kilometers). Early next year, the Coronagraph satellite, carrying instruments to image the Sun, and the Occulter satellite, equipped with navigation sensors and thrusters, will separate to begin their experiments. The Occulter will position a disk to block the Sunâ€Ös surface, casting a shadow on the Coronagraph satellite.
[https://www.amsat.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Proba-3-Coronagra...]https://www.amsat.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Proba-3-Coronagraph-Occulter-Redwire-scaled.jpg
Proba-3 completed its final operations tests at Redwireâ€Ös Belgium facilities in October [Credit: Redwire Spacehttps://x.com/RedwireSpace]
This arrangement allows scientists to create artificial eclipses, blocking sunlight to reveal the solar corona. Natural solar eclipses offer only brief observation windows, and traditional coronagraphs on single spacecraft face challenges like diffraction. Proba-3 addresses these limitations by keeping the two satellites 150 meters apart, enabling clearer imaging of the Sun's outer atmosphere.
Proba-3 uses advanced navigation technology, including inter-satellite radio links, cameras, and a laser-ranging system. This system maintains millimeter-scale precision between the satellites, allowing them to create artificial eclipses lasting up to six hours. The mission aims to conduct at least 1,000 hours of such observations during its two-year operational phase.
[https://www.amsat.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Proba-3-Formation...]https://www.amsat.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Proba-3-Formation-Dual-Satellites-Flying.jpg
Artist rendering of the Proba-3 Coronagraph and Occulter satellites positioned 150 meters apart. [Credit: ESAhttps://www.esa.int/ / P. Carril]
The missionâ€Ös scientific goal is to observe a part of the corona that existing instruments cannot study. This region is critical for understanding solar phenomena such as coronal mass ejections and the acceleration of the solar wind, which affect space weather and Earth. The mission will also capture high-frequency images to study plasma waves and jets that may heat the corona and drive the solar wind.
Proba-3 also serves as a test of formation-flying technology. ESA officials hope the techniques demonstrated will be used in future missions, such as Mars Sample Return or space debris removal. "Proba-3 is an important step toward more complex space operations," said Josef Aschbacher, ESA's director general. "This mission shows how smaller spacecraft can work together to achieve goals that were not possible before."
[ANS thanks Stephen Clark, Ars Technicahttps://arstechnica.com/ for the above information]
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