The PROBA2 Mission and Five Years of Observations: What Have we Learned?

Abstract:

PROBA2 is the second satellite in the European Space Agency's series of PROBA low-cost satellites and is now part of ESAs Space Situational Awareness Programme. PROBA2 carries four science instruments, two of which are designed to monitor the Sun; SWAP, an EUV imager and LYRA, an ultraviolet irradiance radiometer that observes the Sun in four passbands. The PROBA2 Science Center, located at the Royal Observatory of Belgium in Brussels, is the primary archive and distribution center for data from SWAP and LYRA, as well as the primary maintainer of calibration tools, data analysis software, and additional instrument data. I will present what has been learnt from over 5 years of PROBA2 observations and operations, including: the advantages and some of the issues that have had to be overcome when running a small mission, our operational philosophy and how we have maintained operations with a small team. I will present some of the methods implemented to promote the mission as well as some of the key observations and space weather / solar tools PROBA2 has contributed to.