Browsing: Proba-3

Proba-3 is an ambitious mission developed by the European Space Agency (ESA) to demonstrate advanced formation-flying techniques in space. It consists of two spacecraft designed to work in tandem to achieve high-precision positioning relative to each other, with a separation accuracy of just millimeters over a distance of 150 meters. The mission’s primary focus is to showcase the ability to create a giant, space-based coronagraph by blocking out the Sun’s light using one satellite (the “occulter”) while the other (the “coronagraph”) observes the Sun’s corona from a distance. Scheduled as a technology demonstration, Proba-3 aims to pave the way for future scientific missions and applications that require precise formation flying, such as astrophysical observations and Earth monitoring.