Particle.news
Download on the App Store
9 ARTICLES
·
4d ago

ESA Unveils First Artificial Solar Eclipse Images from Proba-3 Satellites

Using millimetre-level precision, the dual satellites created on-demand totality in orbit for extended data collection

Image
This image provided by the European Space Agency depicts the two spacecraft of the Proba-3 mission aligning to create an eclipse to capture a coronagraph in space. (P. Carril/ESA via AP)

Overview

  • Proba-3’s Coronagraph and Occulter satellites have completed 10 artificial total solar eclipses during commissioning, with the longest lasting five hours.
  • The pair maintain a 150-metre separation within a millimetre through GPS navigation, star trackers, lasers and radio links.
  • Data from ASPIICS, DARA and 3DEES provide uninterrupted observations of the solar corona, measuring irradiance and energetic electrons.
  • ESA unveiled the mission’s first coronal images at the Paris Air Show, highlighting formation-flying technologies developed under its General Support Technology Programme.
  • Scientists plan to extend artificial eclipse durations to six hours per orbit and fully automate formation flying to yield more than 1,000 hours of totality over two years.