Tue Oct 01 00:57:19 UTC 2024: ## Europe to Launch Satellite Pair Capable of Creating Artificial Solar Eclipses
**UNDATED (WKRC)** – The European Space Agency is set to launch Proba-3 in 2024, a groundbreaking mission designed to create artificial total solar eclipses. This mission, the world’s first precision formation flying mission, consists of two satellites that will operate independently using lasers and light sensors to maintain precise alignment with millimeter accuracy.
The primary goal of Proba-3 is to enable scientists to better study the sun’s corona, the outer atmosphere that is only visible during natural solar eclipses. The corona’s extreme heat, exceeding the surface temperature of the sun itself, remains a mystery that Proba-3 aims to unravel.
“This is an extraordinarily promising technology,” said solar physicist Francisco Diego of University College London. “Getting it right will not be easy, but it will be highly rewarding.”
The mission will involve one satellite releasing a disk that perfectly blocks the sun’s light as seen from the second satellite, creating artificial eclipses that can last up to six hours a day. This extended duration will allow scientists to study the inner corona in detail, providing valuable insights into its enigmatic heat.
While the public won’t be able to witness these man-made eclipses from Earth, the mission’s scientific potential is enormous. Proba-3 will provide a unique opportunity to explore the sun’s corona and its impact on technologies like GPS and power lines, furthering our understanding of our star’s influence on our planet.
First Piper 