Two European satellites were launched from India on December 5, 2024, as part of the Proba-3 mission. This initiative aims to create artificial solar eclipses, enabling scientists to study the sun’s corona, its outer atmosphere, for extended durations. Natural solar eclipses typically last only minutes, but these artificial versions will provide six-hour-long observation periods. This extended time will help researchers analyze the unusual heating of the sun’s corona, which is significantly hotter than its surface. Additionally, it will aid in examining coronal mass ejections—powerful bursts of plasma and magnetic energy capable of disrupting Earth’s communication systems. The mission, scheduled to run for two years, plans to conduct at least two eclipses weekly, revolutionizing the study of solar phenomena.

The satellites, compact in size at less than 1.5 meters each, will orbit Earth in an elliptical trajectory varying between 600 and 60,000 kilometers. By maintaining an extraordinary precision of one millimeter, the two satellites will fly 150 meters apart, with one blocking sunlight using a disk and the other observing the corona with a telescope. This remarkable alignment will be achieved through GPS, lasers, and star trackers. Experts from the European Space Agency highlighted the mission’s significance in understanding solar activity and mitigating geomagnetic storm impacts. Data collection is expected to commence by March, showcasing the potential of advanced satellite technologies and providing critical insights into solar behavior.