Proba-3 mission to be launched by India

Source: This post is based on the article “Sun Study: India to launch Europe’s Proba-3 set to create artificial eclipse” published in “The Times of India” on 6th January 2024.

Why in news?

India will launch the European Space Agency’s (ESA) pioneering Proba-3 mission in September 2024.

What is Proba-3’s mission?

Led by: the European Space Agency (ESA)

Launch vehicle: PSLV-XL rocket

What is it? World’s first precision formation flying mission.

Aim: To form a 144-m long solar coronagraph, which will create an artificial eclipse, revealing new views of the Sun’s faint corona.

Components: Proba-3 consists of two small satellites — a Coronagraph spacecraft and a solar-disc-shaped Occulter spacecraft. 

A coronagraph is an instrument that will allow scientists to study the Sun’s elusive corona with unprecedented proximity and detail.

What will it do? By flying in tight formation about 150 metres apart, the Occulter will precisely cast its shadow onto the Coronagraph’s telescope, blocking the Sun’s direct light. This will allow the Coronagraph to image the faint solar corona in visible, ultraviolet and polarised light for many hours at a time.

What is the significance of the mission?

1) Proba-3’s unique positioning will provide new insights into the origins of coronal mass ejections (CMEs) eruptions of solar material that can disrupt satellites and power grids on Earth.

2) The mission will also measure total solar irradiance, tracking changes in the Sun’s energy output that may influence Earth’s climate.

3) The Proba-3’s formation flying also serves as a testbed for future multi-satellite missions.

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