Identifying and studying events on the Sun that have implications for (space) weather

ESA’s PROBA2 spacecraft is the second in the PROBA (Project for OnBoard Autonomy) series of low-cost satellites, used to validate new scientific technologies and carry scientific instruments. Launched in 2009, PROBA2 was launched in a ‘sun-synchronous low Earth orbit’, meaning the satellite passed over any given point of Earth’s surface while remaining in constant sunlight. This small satellite has an important mission: to explore the active Sun and its effect on the near-Earth environment. PROBA2 has the broader mission of providing a test platform for new instrument technologies. With two main solar instruments on board – SWAP and LYRA – and two instruments to observe the space environment in the immediate vicinity of the spacecraft – DSLP and TPMU – PROBA2 can identify and study all events on the Sun that have implications for space weather and for Earth. This includes coronal mass ejections (CME), EUV waves, EUV dimmings and solar flares.