Solar eclipses 'on demand' with the new Proba-3 mission - Space and Astronomy. One spacecraft will line up facing each other, 144 meters away, to cast its shadow precisely on the other.
The shadow of the first spacecraft will cover the disk of the Sun so as to make visible the outermost part of its atmosphere. Some parts of the hardware will be tested during Monday's eclipse, while the two satellites are already undergoing final integration in Belgium. Launch is scheduled for September from India with a PSLV (Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle) launcher.