The European Space Agency (ESA) is Europe’s gateway to space. Its mission is to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world.
Find out more about space activities in our 23 Member States, and understand how ESA works together with their national agencies, institutions and organisations.
Exploring our Solar System and unlocking the secrets of the Universe
Go to topicProtecting life and infrastructure on Earth and in orbit
Go to topicUsing space to benefit citizens and meet future challenges on Earth
Go to topicMaking space accessible and developing the technologies for the future
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Through exquisite, millimetre-scale formation flying, the dual satellites making up ESA’s Proba-3 will accomplish what was previously a space ‘mission impossible’: cast a precise shadow from one spacecraft to the other, in the process blocking out the fiery face of the Sun to observe its ghostly surrounding atmosphere, the corona, on a prolonged basis.
Proba-3 will be the first mission to:
- Perform formation flying down to 1 mm precision
- Survey the Sun’s corona in visible light so close to the solar rim.