Unprecedented mission to create a 'total solar eclipse'

Today (December 5), the European Space Agency (ESA) successfully launched Proba-3, an unprecedented mission that allows to recreate an artificial version of a total solar eclipse in Earth's orbit.

Motion simulation of the Proba-3 mission duo

The goal of the Proba-3 mission is to further study the sun's corona, which is invisible to Earth-based researchers except during total solar eclipses.

The launch was carried out from the Satish Dhawan Space Center on India's Sriharikota island at around 5:34 p.m. on December 5 (Vietnam time), Reuters reported.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) announced on its X account (formerly Twitter name) that the PSLV-C59 rocket was successfully launched, marking a proud moment for India's space efforts. PSLV stands for Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, a type of rocket launched by the country.

At approximately 17:58, PSLV Mission Director M. Jayakumar announced that the ESA mission had been inserted into Earth orbit.

The Proba-3 mission consists of a half-ton spacecraft with two satellites inside that are expected to separate early next year.

Parallel position of two satellites in elliptical orbits about 60,000 km from Earth

Next, the pair of satellites will line up and be just about 150 meters apart, meaning one satellite will cast a shadow over the other.

In parallel position and without guidance from the ground station, the satellite pair will enter an elliptical orbit with a period of about 19 hours/day and about 60,000 km from the Earth.

One satellite, equipped with a 1.4 m diameter shield, will act as a moon to block the light from the sun. The other satellite, in the shadow of the first satellite, will be able to observe and measure the sun's corona.

While total solar eclipses on Earth only last a few minutes and about 60 times per century, the European Space Agency hopes Proba-3 will manage to conduct 10 to 12 hours of observations per week for two years.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/su-menh-chua-tung-co-de-tao-ra-nhat-thuc-toan-phan-185241205181733376.htm