India and European space agencies are teaming up for an exciting new mission called Proba-3, which is often referred to as the Sun mission. This mission aims to study the Sun's outer atmosphere, known as the corona, from a closer vantage point than ever before. Proba-3 is the European Space Agency's initiative to showcase innovative technologies for flying satellites in close formation. The mission involves two small satellites that will be launched together. Once in space, they will separate and fly in a coordinated manner to create an artificial eclipse, allowing scientists to observe the Sun more effectively.
This mission is seen as a significant step toward future projects where multiple satellites work together as if they were one single unit. Proba-3 is the result of over ten years of collaboration, involving 14 European countries and 29 companies committed to advancing space technology. It is funded by the European Space Agency, with major support from companies like Sener, Redwire, and Airbus Defence and Space.
Proba-3 launch date and time
The Sun mission, which is being organized by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), is set to launch on December 4. It will take off at 16:08 Indian Standard Time (IST) or 10:38 Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) using a PSLV-XL rocket from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, India. People can watch the launch live on ESA Web TV and Isro’s YouTube channel, starting at 15:38 IST or 10:08 GMT.
The name 'Proba' comes from a Latin expression that means 'Let’s try.' It represents a series of test missions, beginning with Proba-1, followed by a mission focused on observing the Sun called Proba-2 in 2009, and then Proba-V in 2013, which was designed to monitor plant life on Earth.
How does it work?
Proba-3 involves two small satellites that work together like a big team to study the Sun. These satellites will be launched into space together in a unique orbit that takes them far out and then close again, creating a special setup for their work.
About 18 minutes after launching, the two satellites will separate, and a control team in Belgium will start receiving signals from them a little later. What’s really impressive is that they will be positioned nearly 150 meters apart—about the length of a soccer field. This setup allows one satellite to cast a shadow on the other, much like how the moon blocks the sun during a solar eclipse.
However, Proba-3 is not just about one quick moment; it changes the game by giving scientists a much longer time to observe the Sun. Instead of the brief natural solar eclipses that occur only occasionally and last less than ten minutes, Proba-3 will create around 50 “eclipses” every year, each lasting six hours. This offers researchers a fantastic chance to deeply study the Sun's atmosphere and how it interacts with space.
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