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Mahesh

26/11/24 10:00 AM IST

European solar mission

In News
  • The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will launch the European Space Agency’s Proba-3 mission on its PSLV rocket to study the solar corona, the outermost and hottest part of the Sun’s atmosphere.
Proba-3
  • Developed at an estimated cost of 200 million euros, Proba-3 has an expected mission life of two years.
  • It will be launched into a highly elliptical orbit measuring around 600 x 60,530 km and have an orbital period of 19.7 hours.
  • The mission is designed with two satellites that will be launched together, separate from each other and then fly in tandem.
  • They will then 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.
Study by Proba-3
  • Due to the corona’s temperature, going up to 2 million degrees Fahrenheit, it is difficult for any instrument to observe it closely.
  • However, it is important for scientific study, as all space weather and its associated turbulences — solar storms, solar winds, etc. — originate from the corona.
  • These phenomena influence space weather and can potentially interfere with the smooth operations of all satellite-based communications, navigation, and power grids on Earth.
To study these, Proba-3 will have three instruments onboard:
  • The Association of Spacecraft for Polarimetric and Imaging Investigation of the Corona of the Sun (ASPIICS) or the coronagraph.
  • Its field of view is between the Sun’s outer and inner corona, a circular belt normally observable during solar eclipse events.
  • The instrument has a 1.4-metre 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) will maintain a continuous measurement of the Sun’s total energy output, known as the total solar irradiance.
  • The 3D Energetic Electron Spectrometer (3DEES) will measure electron fluxes as it passes through Earth’s radiation belts, providing data for space weather studies.
Significance of the mission
  • The two satellites — Occulter Spacecraft (weighing 200 kg) and the Coronagraph Spacecraft (weighing 340 kg) — will mimic a natural solar eclipse.
  • They will manoeuvre precisely in Earth’s orbit so that one satellite casts a shadow onto the other.
  • A naturally occurring solar eclipse allows solar physicists to observe and study the Sun’s corona for 10 minutes, across an average of about 1.5 eclipse events per year.
  • 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.
  • Both the Occulter and the Coronagraph will face the Sun at all times.
  • They will maintain a formation of a few millimetres and then move to a position where they will be 150 metres for six hours at a time.
  • One satellite will act as a viewing telescope, kept at the centre of a shadow cast by the other satellite positioned 150 metres away.
  • This positioning will facilitate observing the Sun’s corona and will be autonomously achieved through precise flight formation.
  • If done successfully, the Occulter will create an artificial yet stable eclipse, by masking large parts of the Sun.
  • As a result, the Sun’s blinding light will get blocked and only the solar corona will be visible to the coronagraph, which will photograph and facilitate studies of the lesser-known features.
Importance for India
  • Proba-3 is being called ESA’s technology demonstration mission.
  • The fact that ISRO has been designated to launch the mission demonstrates India’s reliable space launch facilities and growing space capabilities.
  • A cost-effective launch is also one of the highlights of the mission.
  • There is a strong possibility that the Indian solar physicist community will get exclusive access to the Proba-3 data.
  • A few Indian solar physicists have also been involved in conceptualising the scientific goals of this mission along with their Belgian counterparts.
  • Soon after the launch, India plans to host a meeting with the ESA’s Proba-3 team to explore opportunities for using data from Aditya L1, India’s first mission to the Sun (launched in 2023) and Proba-3 for collaborative research.
  • This would allow Indians to work towards and contribute to newer scientific advancements related to the Sun.
Source- Indian Express

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