Meanwhile, the ground operation teams prepares for the unlikely. It is only during a very small fraction of its orbit that Proba-3 will cross the Low Earth Orbit region where there is higher probability of close approach with a space object, but it is important to be ready for the situation.

A simulation has been performed between the ESA Space Debris Office and the Proba-3 Mission Operation Center (MOC) in Redu. In this simulation, we are just a few days after launch, and a (fake) alert is received by the MOC about an upcoming close conjunction with a space debris.

Up to the MOC to react and follow the contingency procedures to decide the reaction, and send commands if necessary to the spacecraft to perform a collision avoidance maneuver . At that stage of the mission, the spacecraft are still attached together (we call it in “STACK” configuration). The maneuverability is more limited, but even a few cm/s of change of velocity can be enough to dodge an object hours later.

Mission accomplished during this simulation when the interfaces and procedures have been tested and validated with success.