Bengaluru: The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) will launch the European Space Agency’s Proba-3 Mission on its PSLV Rocket. The mission aims to study the corona, the outermost and hottest layer of the Sun’s atmosphere. The rocket will be launched from Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh on December 4, 2024.
Apart from studying the corona, the mission will also attempt ‘precision format flying’ for the first time, wherein two satellites will fly together and maintain a fixed configuration in space. The two satellites will form a solar coronagraph, an instrument that helps block out the bright light emitted by the Sun to reveal the objects and atmosphere around it. Proba-3 has an expected mission life of two years designed at an estimated cost of Rs. 200 million euros. It will be launched into a highly elliptical orbit measuring approximately 600×60,530 km and have an orbital period of 19.7 hours.
The mission is important because due to the corona’s very high temperature, it has been difficult for any instrument to observe it closely till now. However, the study is a significant one as it can provide deep insights into how solar winds and solar storms originate from the corona and result in space weather and its associated turbulence.
To study the layer, Proba-3 will consist of three instruments:
The Association of Spacecraft for Polarimetric and Imaging Investigation of the Corona of the Sun (ASPIICS) or the Coronagraph- The instrument has a 1.4-meter diameter occulting disk mounted on it, to block the Sun’s light and facilitate a close-up view of this belt.
The Digital Absolute Radiometer (DARA)- This will maintain a continuous measurement of the Sun’s total energy output, known as the total solar irradiance.
The 3D Energetic Electron Spectrometer (3DEES)- This will measure electron fluxes as they pass through Earth’s radiation belts, providing data for space weather studies.
The two satellites, Occulter Spacecraft and the Coronagraph Spacecraft will manoeuvre precisely in Earth’s orbit so that one satellite casts a shadow onto the other. A naturally occurring solar eclipse allows physicists to study the Sun’s corona for just 10 minutes, across an average of about 1.5 eclipse events yearly. Meanwhile, Proba-3 will give six hours, equivalent to 50 such events annually, which will help deepen understanding of the Sun’s corona like never before.
The fact that ISRO has been assigned the mission showcases India’s reliable space launch facilities and its growing space capabilities. The mission is expected to provide India with exclusive access to all the data collected during the study, thereby helping the Indian scientists to deepen their understanding of the Sun.
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