In a moment hailed as a “great relief” by mission control, the European Space Agency (ESA) has successfully re-established communication with its Proba-3 Coronagraph spacecraft. The satellite, a key component of a unique mission designed to create artificial solar eclipses in orbit, went silent in mid-February, prompting concerns about the future of the ambitious project. The recovery marks a significant win for the agency and paves the way for continued groundbreaking research into the sun’s corona.
The Proba-3 mission, launched in December 2024 from India, consists of two spacecraft – the Coronagraph and the Occulter – flying in precise formation approximately 150 meters apart. This carefully orchestrated dance allows the Occulter to block the sun’s bright disk, creating an artificial eclipse that enables the Coronagraph to study the solar corona, the sun’s outer atmosphere, without the glare. Observing the corona is crucial for understanding the solar wind, a continuous flow of matter from the sun into outer space.
The loss of contact with the Coronagraph, reported on March 19, 2026, threatened to end the mission prematurely. As ESA Mission Manager Damien Galano stated, “Hearing back from the Coronagraph is amazing news, and a great relief!” The two spacecraft rely on each other to function; if either fails, the entire mission is compromised. The ability to maintain a millimeter-level precision in their relative positions, achieved without ground control intervention for several hours in March, is a testament to the innovative navigation and positioning technologies onboard.
The Proba-3 mission achieved a world first in March, maintaining its formation for several hours without any ground control. This demonstration of precision formation flying is a core objective of the mission, showcasing technologies that could revolutionize future space exploration. The artificial eclipses created by the spacecraft cast a shadow of 8 centimeters across the optical instrument, ASPIICS (Association of Spacecraft for Polarimetric and Imaging Investigation of the Corona of the Sun), allowing it to capture images of the corona uninterrupted by the sun’s intense light. ASPIICS was developed by an industrial consortium led by the Centre Spatial de Liège in Belgium.
The initial images from the mission, released in June 2025, provided the first views of the sun’s corona created by an artificial eclipse in space. These images demonstrated the potential of the formation flying technology and delivered valuable scientific data. The mission’s success hinges on the continued synchronized operation of the two spacecraft, a feat requiring constant monitoring and adjustments.
The cause of the communication loss is still under investigation, but ESA teams were able to restore contact and are now working to fully assess the spacecraft’s health and performance. The recovery process involved a careful and methodical approach to re-establish the link, highlighting the expertise and dedication of the ESA engineering team.
Looking ahead, the Proba-3 mission is expected to continue its observations of the solar corona, providing scientists with unprecedented insights into the sun’s behavior and its impact on space weather. The data collected will be invaluable for improving our understanding of the sun and its enigmatic atmosphere, potentially leading to better predictions of solar flares and coronal mass ejections that can disrupt satellite communications and power grids on Earth.
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