European satellites launched to create artificial solar eclipses in a tech demo

Two European satellites launch on mission to blot out the Sun—for science

Two spacecraft developed by the European Space Agency launched on top of an Indian rocket Thursday, kicking off a mission to test novel formation flying technologies and observe a rarely-seen slice of the Sun's ethereal corona. ESA's Proba-3 mission is purely experimental. The satellites are loaded with sophisticated sensors and ranging instruments to allow the two spacecraft to orbit the Earth in lockstep with one another. Proba-3 will attempt …

European satellites launched to create artificial solar eclipses in tech demo

A pair of European satellites rocketed into orbit Thursday on the first mission to create artificial solar eclipses through fancy formation flying in space. Each fake eclipse should…

Two satellites launched to create artificial solar eclipses

Each artificial eclipse is expected to last six hours once operations commence next year.

European Space Agency Satellites to Create Artificial Solar Eclipse

Two European Space Agency satellites, named Proba-3, were launched from India on Thursday to create artificial solar eclipses and study the Sun. (Image: Solar Eclipse) Credit : NASA Two European Space Agency (ESA) satellites, named Proba-3, were launched from India on Thursday to create artificial solar eclipses and study the Sun. The launch was initially scheduled to take place on Wednesday but was delayed for twenty-four hours due to technical…

How ESA's Proba-3 Mission Will Create Solar Eclipses in Orbit

After a slight hiccup and one-day delay, the European Space Agency's incredible Proba-3 mission successfully launched into space. The Proba-3 mission will do something never seen before: it will precisely and repeatedly create solar eclipses in orbit using two satellites. Lining up these satellites is a remarkable technological feat and relies heavily on breakthrough imaging technology.