ESA Successfully Simulates Artificial Solar Eclipses with Proba-3 Mission
In a groundbreaking space experiment, the European Space Agency (ESA) has successfully created artificial solar eclipses using two satellites. The achievement was unveiled at the Paris Air Show, showcasing images and data from this innovative attempt to simulate solar eclipses in space for scientific study.
The two satellites, launched in 2024, have been maneuvered into precise positions since March 2025 to simulate eclipses by flying 492 feet apart and thousands of kilometers above Earth. One satellite acts like the Moon, blocking the Sun, while the other observes the Sun’s outer atmosphere, the corona, using onboard telescopes.
This artificial eclipse setup provides longer and more frequent opportunities to study the corona, which is otherwise only visible for a few minutes during natural eclipses. The mission is called Proba-3 and is valued at $210 million. So far, it has successfully produced 10 artificial eclipses, with the longest lasting up to five hours.
How the Artificial Eclipse Works
The satellites, each less than five feet in size, must maintain a flight precision of less than one millimeter. To achieve this, they use GPS navigation, star trackers, laser guidance, and radio links to align accurately.
Future Plans
According to André Zhukov of the Royal Observatory of Belgium, the initial results are promising and impressive. The mission aims to create around 200 eclipses, approximately two per week, providing scientists with over 1,000 hours of corona observation. This marks a major improvement compared to traditional eclipses, which last only a few minutes.
Scientific experiments on these artificial eclipses are scheduled to begin in July.