European Space Agency launches satellites to create artificial solar eclipses for sun study

The European Space Agency launched two satellites on Thursday that will create artificial solar eclipses. This mission, called Proba-3, aims to help scientists study the sun's outer atmosphere over the next two years. The satellites will fly about 500 feet apart and must maintain a precise position within one millimeter. They will autonomously use GPS, lasers, and radio links to achieve this. The artificial eclipses will not be visible from Earth, but images will be released starting in March 2025. Proba-3 is part of a series of low-cost missions by the ESA, with a total estimated cost of $210 million.