PROBA-3 mission will create artificial solar eclipse

PROBA-3, a mission led by the European Space Agency (ESA), is all set to be launched in November 2024 on a ground-breaking operation. The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) and several European nations are participating in this. The final testing of both satellites (Occulter and Coronagraph) for the mission is complete, and they will be shipped to India on October 21 where it will be launched by ISRO's PSLV-XL rocket from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Andhra Pradesh on November 29.

This mission will create an on-demand solar eclipse a celestial event when the moon comes between the sun and the earth. Through this mission, ESA aims to artificially recreate this astronomical event.

It will mark the beginning of a new age in space exploration where multiple satellites must coordinate through "precision formation flying." Working together as a single, massive structure, the two satellites will form a 144-meter long solar coronagraphy and maintain a predefined alignment and distance in space. This coronagraph will study the solar corona near the rim of the sun by blocking out the bright rays emanating from the surface of the Sun, thus creating an artificial eclipse.

Without needing to wait for an actual eclipse, scientists will be able to study various activities, such as solar flares and coronal mass ejections — phenomena that, often, affect space weather and even influence Earth’s environment.

The success of the mission will depend on the precise positioning and coordination of both satellites. Advanced equipment like cold gas thrusters and vision-based detection systems will help with this. PROBO-3 mission will help check out related technologies for formation flying and carry out different experiments related to the meeting, or docking, of two or more spacecraft.

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