India launches European satellites to create artificial solar eclipses for scientific study

India has successfully launched two European satellites as part of the Proba-3 mission, aimed at creating artificial solar eclipses. This launch took place from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre after a brief delay due to a technical issue. The satellites will fly 150 meters apart, allowing one to block sunlight for the other. This setup will enable scientists to study the Sun's faint atmosphere, known as the corona, for up to six hours at a time. The mission, costing around €200 million, seeks to answer important questions about the Sun, including why the corona is hotter than the Sun's surface and how its energy output changes over time.