Minimize What is Proba-1?
Web Content Image

Proba-1 is a technology demonstrator turned operational Earth observation mission - ESA's smallest, less than a cubic metre in volume. Proba-1's main instrument is the Compact High Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (CHRIS), acquiring 13 square km scenes at 17 m spatial resolution in 18 user-selected visible and near-infrared wavelengths. This agile satellite can also deliver up to five different viewing angles. Nearly 20,000 environmental science images have been acquired.

Minimize Latest Mission Operations News

Proba-1 celebrates 15 years in orbit

10 November 2016

The Proba-1 microsatellite (smaller than a cubic metre) is the first in ESA's series of satellites aimed at flight-testing new space technologies, designed for autonomous operations.

Proba-1 was launched on 22 October 2001 and is still going strong today, more than fifteen years later.

Read more
Web Content Image

Proba-1 back in operation

20 February 2015

After a short period of inactivity, Proba-1 was successfully put back in Energy mode (by ESA Redu station) on Monday 09 February 2015 at 03:10 UTC and the imaging activities were restarted on Thursday 12 February 2015.

Read more
Minimize Latest Mission Results News
Web Content Image

Proba-1 images Calanda reservoir

20 April 2017

The blue of the Calanda reservoir amid the rugged landscape of northeastern Spain, as seen by ESA's oldest - and one of its smallest - Earth-observing missions, Proba-1, midway through its 15th year of operations.

Read more
Minimize Special Features
Web Content Image

Proba-1 charting Earth's radiation belts for a decade

07 November 2011

ESA's Proba-1 recently celebrated its tenth birthday in orbit. Kept busy as an Earth-observing mission, the microsatellite has also been building a detailed...

Read more
Web Content Image

Small but agile Proba-1 reaches 10 years in orbit

31 October 2011

For most Earth-observing satellites, image acquisition is only a matter of opening a viewing aperture but Proba-1 is different.

Read more
Minimize About this Mission

Proba-1

The Project for On-Board Autonomy (Proba) was originally a technology demonstration mission of the European Space Agency, started in mid-1998 and funded within the frame of ESA's General Support Technology Programme.

Intended as a one-year mission, Proba-1 has provided data successfully ever since its launch on 22 Oct 2001. Hosting two Earth Observation instruments CHRIS and HRC, Proba-1 has been managed, since 2004, by ESA's Ground Segment Department within the Directorate of Earth Observation at ESA/ESRIN.

Data

Facts and figures
Operators ESA (European Space Agency)
Date of Launch 22 October 2001
Status Operating nominally
Orbit Height 615 km
Orbit Type Sun-synchronous elliptical polar
Repeat Cycle approx. 7 days
Resolution 18 m (CHRIS)
Swath Width 14 km (CHRIS)
Onboard Sensors provided under TPM
  • CHRIS (Compact High Resolution Imaging Spectrometer)
  • HRC (High Resolution Camera)

Missions

Minimize Related Software Tools