Latest PROBA Stories

As preparations for the launch of SMOS and Proba-2 continue on schedule, the engineers and technicians at the Russian launch site say goodbye as both satellites are encapsulated within the half-shells of the Rockot fairing. Volker Liebig, ESA's Director of Earth Observation Programs, said, "Today, with the encapsulation of the SMOS satellite in the launcher fairing, we have made an important step towards the launch of this key environmental mission, which will investigate two parameters of...

As the first snow of the winter arrives in Plesetsk, the team has reached a significant milestone in the launch campaign "“ the launch authorities have given the green light to fuel the satellite.This hazardous activity is being carried out today by members of the Thales Alenia Space team. Yesterday, preparations for fuelling were in full swing with the satellite being inspected and the equipment being set up for the procedure. In addition, the documentation needed to do the fuelling was...

While the SMOS and Proba-2 launch campaigns are progressing well in Plesetsk, Russia, operations teams in France and Spain have also been getting ready for launch on November 2.Over the last couple of weeks, the operations teams have taken part in the final dress rehearsal for the Launch and Early Orbit Phase (LEOP) of the mission. This simulation campaign complements two earlier dry-runs that were carried out in January and March and which simulated normal operating conditions.This dress...

After leaving Thales Alenia Space in the south of France on September 15, ESA's SMOS Earth Explorer has arrived safely at the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in northern Russia, where it will be prepared for launch on November 2.The Antonov aircraft carrying the Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) satellite, along with seven containers of support equipment, arrived at Arkhangelsk early in the morning of September 16. Once unloaded from the aircraft, the precious cargo was transported by truck to the...

The European Space Agency says its Proba-2 satellite has reached the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in northern Russia where it is being prepared for a November launch. Among the smallest satellites ever built by the ESA, Proba-2 builds on nearly eight years of operational experience gained with the space agency's Proba-1. The ESA said Proba-2 carries 17 new technology developments, and four scientific experiments focused on solar and space weather observations. Proba-2 will piggyback its way into...

Proba-2 has reached Plesetsk Cosmodrome in northern Russia, where it is being prepared for launch this November. Among the smallest satellites ever built by ESA, it was transported there aboard an Ilyushin cargo plane.Proba-2 is a mission of ESA's General Support Technology Program (GSTP) , building on almost eight years of operational experience gained with Proba-1. While standard satellites are lorry-sized structures, the Probas occupy less than a cubic meter. But this small scale does not...

Proba-2, one of the smallest satellites the European Space Agency has built, is being readied for shipment to the Plesetsk spaceport in Russia. ESA officials said the satellite is the second in the ESA's Project for On Board Autonomy series. While standard satellites are truck-sized structures, the Proba satellites have a volume of less than one cubic meter, the ESA said in a statement. But this small scale does not limit their functionality: Proba-2 incorporates a total of 17 new...

Proba-2, one of the smallest satellites ESA has ever built for space, is about to leave its Belgian homeland. Its development and testing complete, the satellite is being packed up for the first leg of its journey to orbit - shipment to the distant Plesetsk launch site in northern Russia.Proba-2 is second in ESA's Project for OnBoard Autonomy series, building on nearly eight years of operational experience gained with Proba-1. While standard satellites are truck-sized structures, the Proba...

Following an agreement between ESA, Krunichev Space Centre and Eurockot Launch Services, ESA's next Earth Explorer mission SMOS and a secondary payload, the technology demonstrator Proba-2 satellite, will now launch on November 2 2009.The new November launch date follows a rescheduling of the previously announced date of September 9. Both the Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) satellite and the secondary payload Proba-2, which is ESA's second Project for Onboard Autonomy mission, will...

Following confirmation from Eurockot Launch Services that they will launch ESA's SMOS mission on September 9 this year, the satellite has just been taken out of storage "“ providing an opportunity for the media to view the satellite before it is prepared for shipment to the launch site in Russia.The Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) mission is the next Earth Explorer in line for liftoff after the successful launch of the Gravity field and steady-state Ocean Circulation Explorer...