After their successful separation, the CSC and OSC spacecraft began drifting apart to ensure their safety. However, it wasn’t long before we wanted to bring them back together — this time in a carefully controlled manner.

To achieve this, our team planned and executed three precise maneuvers. These maneuvers were designed to bring the satellites closer together, adjust their relative trajectories and establish a safe orbit.

The first maneuver was an especially intense and emotional moment for the team. As it was being executed, we could monitor the spacecraft in real-time through telemetry. It was incredible to see the data confirm that everything was working as expected. The spacecraft responded perfectly, and each maneuver brought them closer to the desired configuration.

And now, the results are in: both spacecraft are in a safe orbit, maintaining a separation of minimum 1000 meters between them.

That said, these two just couldn’t stay apart for too long! During the 2-point-transfer between the maneuvers, they came as close as 200 meters — almost like two satellites stopping by for a quick chat over the void.

Our on-board equipment for RF communication between the CSC and OSC has also proven to provide very good results, and the ranging functionality works at a greater distance than expected. The equipment were switched on most of the time over the last days, and shows (for the expert eyes 😉) the transition to a safe orbit.

The success of these maneuvers marks yet another important milestone for the Proba-3 mission. Stay tuned as we continue to move closer to achieving the mission’s groundbreaking goals!