ESA's eclipse-making double satellite Proba-3 enters orbit

A pair of spacecraft were launched together with the potential to change the future of space missions. ESA’s twin Proba-3 platforms will perform precise formation flying down to a single millimetre, as if they were one single giant spacecraft. DTU Space has developed the innovative navigation system

Fourteen ESA Member States including Denmark came together on this mission, set to demonstrate game-changing European technology in the areas of autonomous operations and precision manoeuvring by delivering never-before-seen science results. DTU Space has developed an innovative navigation system that is central to the mission's success.

Proba-3 lifted off on a four-stage PSLV-XL rocket from Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, India, on Thursday, 5 December, at 11:34 CET (10:34 GMT, 16:04 local time). Stacked together, the two satellites separated from their upper stage about 18 minutes after launch.

ESA’s Dietmar Pilz called the mission a milestone in space innovation, while mission manager Damien Galano praised ISRO’s flawless launch. Proba-3's satellites will achieve precision positioning akin to the thickness of a fingernail, despite being 150 meters apart.

Using its Occulter and Coronagraph spacecraft, Proba-3 will create solar eclipses on demand to study the Sun's corona—a region crucial for understanding solar wind and space weather. The mission fills an observational gap, providing new insights into solar phenomena like Coronal Mass Ejections.