PROBA‑2 is a mini-satellite in a Sun‑synchronous low Earth orbit dedicated to continuous observations of the Sun. The mission is operated under the responsibility of ESA’s Directorate of Operations and forms part of ESA’s Space Weather assets, providing valuable real‑time and long‑term observations of solar activity.

The mission was originally developed as a technology demonstrator by ESA’s Directorate of Technical and Quality Management. PROBA‑2 was launched from Baikonur on 2 November 2009. Following a successful commissioning phase, the satellite entered its operational phase and was subsequently taken over by ESA’s Science Directorate as a Mission of Opportunity, enabling long‑term scientific exploitation well beyond its original technological objectives.

In 2019, overall mission responsibility was formally transferred back to ESA’s Directorate of Operations, reflecting the mission’s maturity and its role as a routinely operated space weather asset.

PROBA‑2 carries two complementary scientific instruments. The Sun Watcher using Active Pixel System detector and image Processing (SWAP) is a wide‑field extreme ultraviolet (EUV) imager designed to observe the solar corona, while the Large Yield Radiometer (LYRA) measures solar irradiance in selected ultraviolet and soft X‑ray spectral bands. Both instruments are operated from the Science Operations Centre (SOC), which is hosted at the Royal Observatory of Belgium (ROB).

All PROBA‑2 science data are publicly available through ESA’s Heliophysics Archive, ensuring long‑term accessibility for the scientific community and supporting both research and space weather applications: https://p2sa.esac.esa.int/p2sa/

The most recent dedicated science meeting, the PROBA‑2 Symposium, took place on 7–8 February 2019 at ESEC, Redu, Belgium. ESEC hosts the Mission Operations Centre (MOC) for all PROBA missions and provides the operational infrastructure supporting PROBA‑2.

Scientific results from the mission are documented in numerous peer‑reviewed publications. These can be found via the PROBA‑2 library in the Astrophysics Data System (ADS) (link to be inserted). In addition, an overview of the mission’s scientific achievements is maintained on the SOC webpages at: https://proba2.sidc.be/science/publications