On Monday, June 16, ESA announced that its historic Proba-3 mission successfully completed its mission objectives, including completing the world’s first demonstration of precision formation flying, creating an artificial solar eclipse in space, and capturing unprecedented images of the Sun’s corona. Proba-3 is now fully commissioned and able to perform autonomous precision formation flying.
As a core member of the multinational Proba-3 team, which includes Sener, GMV, and Airbus Defence and Space, Redwire is proud to have played a key role in mission operations and the completion of these milestones.
Redwire’s state-of-the-art cleanroom in Belgium served as the integration and testing Hub for ESA’s Proba-3 Mission. Redwire was also responsible for the onboard computer, or “brain,” of the spacecraft, and the development, testing, and integration of one of the spacecraft’s primary demonstration payloads. Following launch, the Redwire team led Proba-3 mission operations, playing a crucial role in the success of the mission so far.
Proba 3’s coronal images demonstrate the potential of precision formation flying technologies, while delivering invaluable scientific data that will improve our understanding of the Sun, solar wind, and coronal mass ejections, which can significantly disrupt communications, power transmission, and navigation systems on Earth.
From testing in Redwire’s cleanroom to precision formation flying in space, the Redwire team has been a proud Proba-3 partner. See behind-the-scenes photos and insights from Proba-3’s journey to launch in our blog series here.
