![](\"http:\/\/www.esa.int\/var\/esa\/storage\/images\/esa_multimedia\/images\/2015\/07\/site_of_princess_elisabeth_base_seen_by_proba-1\/15500233-1-eng-GB\/Site_of_Princess_Elisabeth_Base_seen_by_Proba-1_small.jpg\")
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\nWind-swept mountain peaks peek above the ice of Dronning Maud Land in Antarctica, as seen by ESA\u2019s Proba-1 microsatellite, whose two-year design life has been extended by 11 years and counting.\n<\/p>\n
\nThe topmost ridge in the image is the site of Belgium\u2019s Princess Elisabeth Base<\/a>, the first zero-carbon station on the Southern Continent. The ridge is subject to gales of up to 300 km\/h, so the base is powered by wind turbines supplemented with solar panels.\n<\/p>\n \nEstablished in 2009, Princess Elisabeth\u2019s buildings are aerodynamically contoured and held in place by anchors extending several metres down into the rock.\n<\/p>\n \nLess than a cubic metre, Proba-1 was the first in ESA\u2019s series of satellites aimed at flight-testing new space technologies<\/a>.\n<\/p>\n \nThis image was taken on 13 December 2013, using Proba-1\u2019s main CHRIS Compact High Resolution Imaging Spectrometer. This hyperspectral imager records 15 m-resolution scenes across a programmable selection of up to 62 spectral bands, from a variety of viewing angles.\n<\/p>\n \nProba-1 was launched in October 2001 as an experimental mission but is still going strong, having since been reassigned to ESA\u2019s Earth observation team.\n<\/p>\n \nIn November 2009 it was joined in orbit by Proba-2, focused on solar monitoring. Proba-V, monitoring global vegetation, was launched in May 2013. The two satellites of the formation-flying Proba-3 will be sent into orbit in 2018.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \t\t\t\t\t \nWind-swept mountain peaks peek above the ice of Dronning Maud Land in Antarctica, as seen by ESA\u2019s Proba-1 microsatellite, whose two-year design life has been extended by 11 years and counting.\n<\/p>\n \nThe topmost ridge in the image is the site of Belgium\u2019s Princess Elisabeth Base<\/a>, the first zero-carbon station on the Southern Continent. The ridge is subject to gales of up to 300 km\/h, so the base is powered by wind turbines supplemented with solar panels.\n<\/p>\n \nEstablished in 2009, Princess Elisabeth\u2019s buildings are aerodynamically contoured and held in place by anchors extending several metres down into the rock.\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n