Today (December 5th), the European Space Agency (ESA) successfully launched Proba-3, an unprecedented mission that will allow the artificial recreation of a total solar eclipse in Earth orbit.
Simulation of the Proba-3 mission's movement
The goal of the Proba-3 mission is to further study the sun's corona, which is not visible to Earth researchers except during total solar eclipses.
The launch took place from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre on India's Sriharikota island at approximately 5:34 p.m. on December 5 (Vietnam time), Reuters reported.
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) announced on its X account (formerly Twitter) that the PSLV-C59 rocket had been successfully launched, marking a proud moment for India's space efforts. PSLV stands for Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, a type of rocket developed by the country.
At approximately 5:58 PM, PSLV mission director M. Jayakumar announced that the ESA mission had been successfully launched into Earth orbit.
The Proba-3 mission consists of a half-ton spacecraft containing two satellites that are expected to separate from the spacecraft early next year.
The two satellites are positioned parallel to each other in elliptical orbits, approximately 60,000 km from Earth.
Next, the pair of satellites will align and be only about 150 meters apart, meaning one satellite will cast a shadow over the other.
In a parallel position and without guidance from a ground station, the pair of satellites will enter an elliptical orbit with a period of approximately 19 hours per day and a distance of about 60,000 km from Earth.
One satellite, equipped with a 1.4-meter-diameter shield, would act as the moon, blocking sunlight from the sun. The other satellite, positioned in the shadow of the first, would be able to observe and measure the sun's corona.
While total solar eclipses on Earth last only a few minutes and occur about 60 times per century, the European Space Agency hopes Proba-3 will manage to provide 10 to 12 hours of observation per week for two years.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/su-menh-chua-tung-co-de-tao-ra-nhat-thuc-toan-phan-185241205181733376.htm
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