ESA's Proba-3 spacecraft reestablishes contact after month-long silence
ESA's Proba-3 Coronagraph, which lost contact in February, recently reestablished contact in March 2026.
Ground controllers reported the spacecraft is in safe mode and appears stable; engineers are conducting further health checks to assess system status.
Proba-3 is actually 2 satellites flying 150 meters apart
Proba-3 is actually two satellites flying 150 meters apart to create artificial solar eclipses so scientists can study the Sun's faint corona.
After about a month of silence, the spacecraft's solar panel was facing the Sun to power its electronics and charge its battery while in safe mode.
Mission Manager Damien Galano said he was thrilled to hear from the spacecraft again.
The mission helps researchers figure out mysteries like heating of corona
By blocking out the Sun's glare for hours at a time, Proba-3 helps researchers figure out mysteries like what heats the corona and where solar storms start, key for understanding space weather.
Before going silent, it had already performed multiple artificial eclipses and logged hours of coronal observations.