Space mission using DTU technology captures unique images near the Sun
The European ESA mission Proba-3 has sent back the first images of the Sun’s corona, or 'atmosphere', captured closer to the star than ever before. The mission is based on groundbreaking technology involving two satellites flying in precise formation, functioning as a single space telescope.
The Sun’s corona or 'atmosphere' captured in May 2025 by Proba-3 in the visible light spectrum, as the human eye would see it during a solar eclipse through a green filter. The corona’s hair-like structures were revealed using a specialised image processing algorithm. Image: ESA
Tuesday 17 June 2025
Morten Garly Andersen
The European Space Agency (ESA) on Monday released new and unique images of the Sun’s corona, a kind of an 'atmosphere' around the star.
They were captured by ESA’s Proba-3 satellite in May. DTU Space has made a significant contribution to the mission, which was launched into space in December and has now delivered its first results.
“Our technology contribution is working flawlessly, and we’re already seeing impressive scientific outcomes,” says DTU Space professor John Leif Jørgensen, who leads the Danish contribution to the mission.
Two satellites flying as one
Proba-3 consists of two satellites that operate as a single space instrument: one blocks the Sun’s light, while the other captures images of the corona – something no previous mission has achieved.
DTU Space contributes advanced navigation equipment based on digital camera technology and artificial intelligence, which is crucial for maintaining millimetre-precise distance between the two satellites under the extreme conditions of space.
Testing new technologies
In addition to imaging the Sun’s corona, one of the mission’s goals is to test new technologies.
“This technology could pave the way for a new generation of space telescopes, where multiple satellites work together as a single instrument. It’s both more flexible and significantly cheaper than traditional solutions,” says John Leif Jørgensen.
The two Proba-satellites orbit about 60,000 kilometres above Earth. They are controlled at a distance of 75 to 600 metres from each other with a precision within one millimetre.
