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Europe lost contact with one of its two Proba-3 spacecraft after a malfunction caused the vehicle to lose orientation.
at European Space Agency(ESA) Proba-3 mission launched into Earth orbit from India. In December 2024Proba-3 consists of two spacecraft designed to fly in a precise pattern to create the artifact. solar eclipse In space, could scientists study the Sun’s faint outer atmosphere? crownBut that mission may be in jeopardy after an anomaly on the weekend of February 14 caused one of the probes to lose orientation.
Proba-3 spacecraft Enter the precise station keeping model. in May 2025, demonstrating for the first time the ability of two spacecraft to survive such a coincidence. Then, in June 2025, the mission took its first images. artificial eclipse.
ESA is now trying to determine what went wrong last month. “The exact cause of the anomaly is under investigation. And the mission team is working hard to restore the situation,” the agency said. said in an update on March 6..
The malfunction caused a clear chain reaction that prevented the Coronagraph from entering safe mode and led to a “continued decline in attitude,” the ESA update said. The change in direction caused the spacecraft’s solar panels to move away from suncauses the battery to drain quickly and enter “Survival mode”
As they search for the cause Mission operators are investigating how they can safely bring the Occulter spacecraft closer to the Coronagraph. to help diagnose the problem and re-establish contact. ESA officials said they would provide updates. “When there is new information”
