Two European satellites were successfully launched into orbit from India on a groundbreaking mission to create artificial solar eclipses through precise formation flying in space. The primary goal of this mission is to generate artificial eclipses lasting up to six hours each, allowing for extended observation of the sun's corona, or outer atmosphere.
Once the operations commence next year, the satellites will separate and position themselves 492 feet (150 meters) apart, aligning with the sun to cast shadows on each other. This intricate maneuver requires extreme precision, with the satellites maintaining a distance accurate to within one millimeter.
Equipped with advanced technology such as GPS, star trackers, lasers, and radio links, the cube-shaped spacecraft will fly autonomously to ensure the success of the mission. The shadow-casting satellite will use a disk to block the sun's rays from reaching the telescope on the other satellite, simulating the effect of a natural total solar eclipse.
Scientists are eager to study the sun's corona up close to unravel mysteries such as why it is hotter than the sun's surface and to gain insights into coronal mass ejections that can impact Earth's power and communication systems. The mission, known as Proba-3, is expected to provide valuable data over its two-year operation, creating hundreds of artificial eclipses for analysis.
With a unique orbit ranging from 370 miles to 37,000 miles above Earth, the satellites will spend nearly 20 hours circling the planet, with six hours dedicated to generating eclipses. The first results from the mission are anticipated in March, following a thorough checkout of both spacecraft by the European Space Agency.
Despite a minor delay due to a propulsion system issue, engineers successfully resolved the problem using computer software, ensuring the mission's continued progress. The $210 million Proba-3 mission is poised to make significant contributions to solar research and space exploration before the satellites eventually re-enter Earth's atmosphere and burn up.
