ESA's Proba-3 Formation-Flyer Goes Silent | KeepTrack Space Brief
ESA's Proba-3 spacecraft lost contact last month, grounding the dual-satellite solar eclipse mission. Formation flying between both craft is critical for coronagraph science.
Launch Date
June 4, 2026
Launch Site
TSC
Launch Pad
LC9A
Launch Vehicle
Chang Zheng 6A
NORAD ID
69384
International Designator
2026-124C
Epoch
Fri, 17 Jul 2026 21:00:41 GMT
Apogee
Calculating...
Perigee
Calculating...
Inclination
89.00°
Right Ascension
358.62°
Eccentricity
Calculating...
Argument of Perigee
61.79°
Period
104.05 min
Mean Motion
13.84 rev/day
Latitude
Calculating...
Longitude
Calculating...
Altitude
Calculating...
Velocity
Calculating...
Name
QIANFAN-167
Alternative Name
N/A
Type
Status
Owner
YUANX
Country
China
Constellation
N/A
Related Satellites
Major Events
N/A
1 69384U 26124C 26198.87548134 -.02097118 00000+0 -20293+1 0 9996
2 69384 88.9997 358.6171 0009464 61.7925 298.4200 13.84006830 6134
Source: Celestrak
Apologies, there is no summary for this satellite yet. I am working to generate these for every object in the catalog, but it is going to take time.
Length
0.3
Diameter
3.0
Span
10.0
Dry Mass
267
Launch Mass
267
Shape
Box+pan
Radar Cross Section
Unknown
Visual Magnitude
Unknown
Color
Unknown
Material Composition
Unknown
Payload
Qianfan Jigui 11-03
Purpose
Unknown
Mission
Unknown
Manufacturer
GESIH
Life Expectancy
Unknown
Bus
Qianfan
Configuration
Unknown
Motor
Unknown
Equipment
Unknown
Power System
Unknown
ADCS
Unknown
Transmitter Frequency
Unknown
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ESA's Proba-3 spacecraft lost contact last month, grounding the dual-satellite solar eclipse mission. Formation flying between both craft is critical for coronagraph science.
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