Peer-reviewedCC BY 4.0Astronomy & Astrophysics - A&A
The ASPIICS solar coronagraph aboard the Proba-3 formation flying mission
29 affiliations
- 1Solar-Terrestrial Centre of Excellence – SIDC, Royal Observatory of Belgium
- 2Centre Spatial de Liège, Université de Liège
- 3European Space Research and Technology Centre, European Space Agency
- 4Laboratoire Atmosphères et Observations Spatiales
- 5National Institute for Astrophysics, Astrophysical Observatory of Torino, Pino Torinese
- 6Astronomical Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences
- 7Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research
- 8Institute of Geodynamics of the Romanian Academy
- 9Astronomical Institute, University of Wrocław
- 10University of Athens, Panepistimiopolis
- 11Institut d’Astrophysique de Paris
- 12Applied Physics Laboratory, Johns Hopkins University
- 13IRFM, CEA
- 14Université Côte d’Azur, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Observatoire de la Côte d’Azur
- 15Centrum Badań Kosmicznych Polskiej Akademii Nauk
- 16Astronomical Institute of the Romanian Academy
- 17Onsemi, Cork
- 18National Institute for Research & Development in Microtechnologies
- 19PCO S.A
- 20Southwest Research Institute, Boulder
- 21N7 Space Sp. z o. o
- 22High Altitude Observatory, National Center for Atmospheric Research
- 23Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
- 24Faculty of Education, University of Ljubljana
- 25Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, University of Ljubljana
- 26Center for mathematical Plasma Astrophysics, KU Leuven
- 27Faculty of Sciences, Porto University
- 28Institute of Plasma Physics ASCR v.v.i. (TOPTEC)
- 29Serenum a.s
Abstract
We describe the scientific objectives and instrument design of the ASPIICS coronagraph aboard the Proba-3 mission of the European Space Agency launched on 5 December 2024. Proba-3 consists of two spacecraft in a highly elliptical orbit around the Earth. One spacecraft carries the telescope, and the external occulter is mounted on the second spacecraft. The two spacecraft fly in a precise formation during 6 hours of a 19.63 hour orbit, together forming a giant solar coronagraph called ASPIICS (Association of Spacecraft for Polarimetric and Imaging Investigation of the Corona of the Sun). The very long distance between the external occulter and the telescope (around 144 m) represents an increase of two orders of magnitude compared to classical externally occulted solar coronagraphs. This allows the inner corona to be observed in eclipse-like conditions, i.e., close to the solar limb (down to 1.099 R ⊙ ) and with very little stray light. ASPIICS provides a new perspective on the inner solar corona that will help solve several outstanding problems in solar physics, such as the origin of the slow solar wind and the physical mechanism of coronal mass ejections.
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- The Roman Coronagraph Community Participation Program: corgisim - a simulation suite for the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope Coronagraph Instrument
BibTeX
@article{zhukov2026aspiics,
title = {{The ASPIICS solar coronagraph aboard the Proba-3 formation flying mission}},
author = {A. N. Zhukov and Cédric Thizy and Damien Galano and Bram Bourgoignie and L. Dolla and C. Jean and B. Nicula and S. V. Shestov and C. Galy and R. Rougeot and Jorg Versluys and Joe Zender and P. Lamy and Silvano Fineschi and S. Gunár and B. Inhester and M. Mierla and P. Rudawy and K. Tsinganos and Serge L. Koutchmy and R. Howard and Hardi Peter and S. Vivès and L. Abbo and Claude J. Aime and Konrad Aleksiejuk and J. Baran and Urszula Ba̧k-Stȩślicka and A. Bemporad and D. Berghmans and Diana Beşliu-Ionescu and S. Buckley and O. Buiu and G. Capobianco and I. Cimoch and Elke D’Huys and Craig E. DeForest and M. Dzieżyc and Karl Fleury-Frenette and S. E. Gibson and S. Giordano and L. Golub and K. Grochowski and Petr Heinzel and Aline Hermans and J. Jacobs and Sonja Jejčič and N. Kranitis and Federico Landini and D. Loreggia and Jasmina Magdalenić and Dalmiro Jorge Filipe Maia and Ch. Marqué and R. (Radek) Melich and Marek Morawski and Michal Mosdorf and V. Noce and P. Orleański and Antonis Paschalis and R. Peřestý},
journal = {Astronomy \& Astrophysics - A\&A},
year = {2026},
month = jul,
doi = {10.1051/0004-6361/202557026},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05850372v1},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - The ASPIICS solar coronagraph aboard the Proba-3 formation flying mission
AU - A. N. Zhukov
AU - Cédric Thizy
AU - Damien Galano
AU - Bram Bourgoignie
AU - L. Dolla
AU - C. Jean
AU - B. Nicula
AU - S. V. Shestov
AU - C. Galy
AU - R. Rougeot
AU - Jorg Versluys
AU - Joe Zender
AU - P. Lamy
AU - Silvano Fineschi
AU - S. Gunár
AU - B. Inhester
AU - M. Mierla
AU - P. Rudawy
AU - K. Tsinganos
AU - Serge L. Koutchmy
AU - R. Howard
AU - Hardi Peter
AU - S. Vivès
AU - L. Abbo
AU - Claude J. Aime
AU - Konrad Aleksiejuk
AU - J. Baran
AU - Urszula Ba̧k-Stȩślicka
AU - A. Bemporad
AU - D. Berghmans
AU - Diana Beşliu-Ionescu
AU - S. Buckley
AU - O. Buiu
AU - G. Capobianco
AU - I. Cimoch
AU - Elke D’Huys
AU - Craig E. DeForest
AU - M. Dzieżyc
AU - Karl Fleury-Frenette
AU - S. E. Gibson
AU - S. Giordano
AU - L. Golub
AU - K. Grochowski
AU - Petr Heinzel
AU - Aline Hermans
AU - J. Jacobs
AU - Sonja Jejčič
AU - N. Kranitis
AU - Federico Landini
AU - D. Loreggia
AU - Jasmina Magdalenić
AU - Dalmiro Jorge Filipe Maia
AU - Ch. Marqué
AU - R. (Radek) Melich
AU - Marek Morawski
AU - Michal Mosdorf
AU - V. Noce
AU - P. Orleański
AU - Antonis Paschalis
AU - R. Peřestý
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/07/31
JO - Astronomy & Astrophysics - A&A
DO - 10.1051/0004-6361/202557026
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05850372v1
AB - We describe the scientific objectives and instrument design of the ASPIICS coronagraph aboard the Proba-3 mission of the European Space Agency launched on 5 December 2024. Proba-3 consists of two spacecraft in a highly elliptical orbit around the Earth. One spacecraft carries the telescope, and the external occulter is mounted on the second spacecraft. The two spacecraft fly in a precise formation during 6 hours of a 19.63 hour orbit, together forming a giant solar coronagraph called ASPIICS (Association of Spacecraft for Polarimetric and Imaging Investigation of the Corona of the Sun). The very long distance between the external occulter and the telescope (around 144 m) represents an increase of two orders of magnitude compared to classical externally occulted solar coronagraphs. This allows the inner corona to be observed in eclipse-like conditions, i.e., close to the solar limb (down to 1.099 R ⊙ ) and with very little stray light. ASPIICS provides a new perspective on the inner solar corona that will help solve several outstanding problems in solar physics, such as the origin of the slow solar wind and the physical mechanism of coronal mass ejections.
SN - 0004-6361
SN - 1432-0746
ER -