Proba-3 satellites

ESA’s double-satellite Proba-3 mission will be flying where no previous member of the Proba minisatellite family has gone before – up to 60 000 km away, a seventh of the way to the Moon. Set for launch in 2024, the two satellites will be launched together into a highly elliptical orbit, ranging from 600 km up to a high point of 60 000 km. For six hours per 19.5 hour orbit, the pair will line up so that the Occulter spacecraft casts a shadow upon the Coronagraph spacecraft to open up the Sun's corona atmosphere for sustained observation.