Significance of the European solar mission, which ISRO will launch

Context: The Indian Space Research organisation (ISRO) will launch the European
Space Agency’s Proba-3 missions on its PSLV rocket to study the solar corona,
the outermost and hottest part of the Sun’s atmosphere. The launch date is 4^th
of this Dec, from Sriharikota. The mission will attempt the first-ever
precision formation flying, where two satellites will fly together and maintain
a fixed configuration in space. This is the latest solar mission in ESA’s Proba
suite of missions. Its predecessors Proba-1 & 2 were launched in 2001 &
2009, respectively.

Proba-3 mission

·       About: World’s first
precision formation flying mission. Led by the European Space Agency (ESA), Launch
vehicle is PSLV-XL rocket.

·       Aim: To form a 144-m
long solar coronagraph, which will create an artificial eclipse, revealing new
views of the Sun’s faint corona.

·       Components: Proba-3
consists of two small satellites — a Coronagraph spacecraft and a
solar-disc-shaped Occulter spacecraft.

Ø  A coronagraph is
an instrument that will allow scientists to study the Sun’s elusive corona with
unprecedented proximity and detail.

·       Working
mechanism: By flying in tight formation about 150 metres apart, the Occulter will
precisely cast its shadow onto the Coronagraph’s telescope, blocking the Sun’s
direct light. This will allow the Coronagraph to image the faint solar corona
in visible, ultraviolet and polarised light for many hours at a time. It will
provide new insights into the origins of coronal mass ejections (CMEs) —
eruptions of solar material that can disrupt satellites and power grids on
Earth. The mission will also measure total solar irradiance, tracking changes
in the Sun’s energy output that may influence Earth’s climate.

·       Significance: Proba-3’s
unique positioning will provide new insights into the origins of coronal mass
ejections (CMEs) eruptions of solar material that can disrupt satellites and
power grids on Earth. The mission will also measure total solar irradiance,
tracking changes in the Sun’s energy output that may influence Earth’s climate.
The Proba-3’s formation flying also serves as a testbed for future
multi-satellite missions.