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\t\t\t\t\t\t09\/06\/2026<\/span> The Proba-3 mission\u2019s Coronagraph spacecraft and its main scientific instrument, ASPIICS, are both at full health, ready to resume routine formation flying operations and deliver more breathtaking artificial eclipses.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n In February, something extremely unlikely happened \u2013 an anomaly onboard Proba-3\u2019s Coronagraph spacecraft led to loss of contact between the spacecraft and ground control.\u00a0<\/p>\n For the mission team, operators, engineers and industry partners, the past months have been full of working around the clock, brainstorming, troubleshooting and testing to get the lost spacecraft back and salvage the mission.\u00a0<\/p>\n Fortunately, the ending is a happy one \u2013 thanks to the hard work and dedication of everyone involved, ESA\u2019s eclipse-maker is finally ready to return to routine operations.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n \u201cLast week, we performed the first formation flight since the anomaly, and we can now say with confidence that all systems are working as they should,\u201d confirms Damien Galano, Proba-3 Mission Manager. \u201cWith the Coronagraph spacecraft successfully recovered, the mission can now resume its routine operations.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cAfter performing very careful checks of the ASPIICS coronagraph instrument, I\u2019m very happy to confirm that it\u2019s healthy and fully functional,\u201d says Andrei Zhukov of the Royal Observatory of Belgium, the principal investigator for ASPIICS. \u201cLast week\u2019s formation flight allowed us to capture new images of the corona, and they look as spectacular as the ones taken before the incident occurred.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Meanwhile, the first results from the data collected by the mission have been published, suggesting that solar wind structures in the inner corona can travel three to four times faster than scientists thought.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cOur first results are very promising, and I can\u2019t wait to see the future science that Proba-3 has in store for us,\u201d adds Andrei.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n \u201cWhen we received the first signal from the Coronagraph spacecraft after a month of silence, everyone was so relieved,\u201d Damien recalls the exciting moment. \u201cBut we knew then that the work was not over yet \u2013 we still had no idea how a month without energy affected the spacecraft, or if we will be able to resume the mission at all.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Even for an event as rare as a spacecraft waking up from a \u2018coma\u2019, there is a procedure \u2013 a checklist of tasks that experienced operators need to go through before making any conclusions about the rest of the mission.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n \u201cOne by one, we have checked the status of each of the spacecraft\u2019s subsystems. We have also been able to successfully perform the operations that proved critical in February,\u201d says Damien. \u201cBack then, it triggered the unfortunate chain reaction that led to loss of connection with the spacecraft, but after patching the root cause in the software, we were confident that this activity will cause no further issues.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt has been inspiring and fascinating to witness the team\u2019s energy and commitment in investigating the issue and recovering the system,\u201d he adds. \u201cFor some of us, it has also been one of the most intense and exhilarating periods of our professional lives.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nGet ready for more science<\/h2>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nHappy ending<\/h2>\n
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