First artificial eclipse in orbit delivers unprecedented glimpse of Sun's corona
The European Space Agency's Proba-3 mission has released its first set of solar corona images, offering a rare glimpse into one of the Sun's most mysterious layers that holds clues to solar storms and space weather.
The breakthrough comes after the twin satellites, carrying Coronagraph and Occulter, achieved the remarkable feat of flying 150 meters apart in near-perfect sync, creating an orbiting total eclipse for scientific study.
Unlike traditional coronagraphs, which must contend with stray light and Earth's atmosphere, Proba-3 performed this delicate maneuver entirely in space.
The Occulter blocked out the Sun's bright disk with a 1.4-meter shield, casting an 8-centimeter-wide shadow onto the Coronagraph's optical instrument, ASPIICS, which then captured the faint, ghostly halo of the corona.
With its 5-centimeter aperture, ASPIICS is able to see much closer to the Sun's surface and with greater clarity than ever before.
'Each full image – covering the area from the occulted Sun all the way to the edge of the field of view – is actually constructed from three images. The difference between those is only the exposure time, which determines how long the coronagraph's aperture is exposed to light. Combining the three images gives us the full view of the corona,' said Andrei Zhukov, Principal Investigator for ASPIICS at the Royal Observatory of Belgium.
This artificial eclipse can be generated every 19.6 hours and held for up to six hours, a vast improvement over the fleeting minutes of natural eclipses, which occur barely once or twice a year.
The solar corona, mysteriously hotter than the surface beneath it, is central to understanding the solar wind and coronal mass ejections. These violent bursts of particles can spark auroras or disrupt communications and power grids on Earth.
Proba-3's early observations are already helping refine solar models, especially with the support of ESA's Virtual Space Weather Modelling Centre and KU Leuven's COCONUT software.
'Seeing the first data from ASPIICS is incredibly exciting. Together with the measurements made by another instrument on board, DARA, ASPIICS will contribute to unraveling long-lasting questions about our home star,' says Joe Zender, ESA's Proba-3 project scientist.
Proba-3's formation flying relies on a suite of advanced positioning systems developed under ESA's General Support Technology Programme.
Mission manager Damien Galano said that the satellites achieved their first precise alignment autonomously, with ground control ready to step in, though future operations aim for full autonomy.
'Having two spacecraft form one giant coronagraph in space allowed us to capture the inner corona with very low levels of stray light in our observations, exactly as we expected.,' Galano said.
'Although we are still in the commissioning phase, we have already achieved precise formation flying with unprecedented accuracy. This is what allowed us to capture the mission's first images, which will no doubt be of high value to the scientific community.
The mission also carried two other scientific instruments including the Digital Absolute Radiometer (DARA), which measures the Sun's total energy output, and the 3D Energetic Electron Spectrometer (3DEES), which studies electron activity in Earth's radiation belts.
Built by a 14-country consortium led by Spain's Sener, with key input from Belgium and India, Proba-3 launched aboard a PSLV-XL rocket from Sriharikota in December 2024.
Scientists are now working to extend the eclipse observation window and feed the data into models that could forecast solar activity with greater accuracy.
'Current coronagraphs are no match for Proba-3, which will observe the Sun's corona down almost to the edge of the solar surface. So far, this was only possible during natural solar eclipses,' says Jorge Amaya, Space Weather Modelling Coordinator at ESA.
'This huge flow of observations will help refine computer models further as we compare and adjust variables to match the real images. Together with the team at KU Leuven, which is behind one such model, we have been able to create a simulation of Proba-3's first observations.'
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Please click on the webcast link and follow the prompts for registration and access at least 10 minutes before the call. The webcast will be archived on Vistagen's website shortly after the call and will be available for at least 90 days. For participants interested in participating in the call via dial-in, please follow the link below to pre-register. After registering, you will be provided with access details via email. About Pherines Vistagen's neuroscience pipeline currently consists of five investigational pherine product candidates, each with a novel mechanism of action (MOA) and positive clinical data in their targeted indications. Pherines activate peripheral receptors in human nasal chemosensory neurons and are designed to rapidly activate nose-to-brain neurocircuits, believed to modulate brain areas, without requiring systemic absorption or uptake into the brain to achieve desired therapeutic benefits and differentiated safety. About Vistagen Headquartered in South San Francisco, CA, Vistagen (Nasdaq: VTGN) is a late clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company leveraging a deep understanding of nose-to-brain neurocircuitry to develop and commercialize a new class of intranasal product candidates called pherines. Pherines specifically and selectively activate peripheral receptors on human nasal chemosensory neurons and are designed to rapidly trigger olfactory bulb-to-brain neurocircuits believed to regulate brain areas involved in behavior and autonomic nervous system activity. They are designed to achieve therapeutic benefits without requiring absorption into the blood or uptake into the brain, giving them the potential to be a safer alternative to other pharmacological options if successfully developed and approved. Vistagen is passionate about developing transformative treatment options to improve the lives of individuals underserved by the current standard of care for multiple highly prevalent indications, including social anxiety disorder, major depressive disorder, and multiple women's health conditions, including vasomotor symptoms (hot flashes) associated with menopause. Connect at Forward-looking Statements This press release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks that are difficult to predict and include all matters that are not historical facts. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by the use of words such as 'may,' 'could,' 'expect,' 'project,' 'outlook,' 'strategy,' 'intend,' 'plan,' 'seek,' 'anticipate,' 'believe,' 'estimate,' 'predict,' 'potential,' 'strive,' 'goal,' 'continue,' 'likely,' 'will,' 'would' and variations of these terms and similar expressions, or the negative of these terms or similar expressions. Such forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by Vistagen and its management, are inherently uncertain. As with all pharmaceutical products, there are substantial risks and uncertainties in the process of development and commercialization, and actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected or implied in these forward-looking statements. There can be no guarantee that any of Vistagen's product candidates will successfully complete ongoing or future clinical trials within estimated timelines or at all, receive regulatory approval or be commercially successful, or that Vistagen will be able to successfully replicate the results of past studies of any of its product candidates. Other factors that may cause such a difference include, without limitation, risks and uncertainties relating to conducting and/or completing ongoing clinical trials, including PALISADE-3, PALISADE-4 and/or any other clinical trial conducted by Vistagen as a part of its PALISADE program, as currently expected or at all; completing IND-enabling programs for applicable product candidates, including itruvone and/or PH80; submission of a NDA to the FDA for any of Vistagen's product candidates, including fasedienol; the ability of any clinical trial information from the PALISADE program or otherwise submitted by Vistagen to the FDA to support a NDA; Vistagen's dependence on third-party collaborators for the development, regulatory approval, and/or commercialization of its product candidates and other aspects of its business, which are outside of Vistagen's full control; risks and uncertainties resulting from disruptions and personnel turnover, staff reductions or otherwise, at the FDA, other government agencies and comparable foreign regulatory authorities; risks associated with current and potential future healthcare reforms; the scope and enforceability of Vistagen's patents, including patents related to Vistagen's pherine product candidates and AV-101; fluctuating costs of materials and other resources and services required to conduct Vistagen's ongoing and/or planned clinical and non-clinical trials; market conditions; the impact of general economic, industry or political conditions in the United States or internationally; and other technical and unexpected hurdles in the development, manufacture and commercialization of Vistagen's product candidates. These risks are more fully discussed in the section entitled 'Risk Factors' in Vistagen's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2025, and Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended June 30, 2025, as well as discussions of potential risks, uncertainties, and other important factors in our other filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Vistagen's SEC filings are available on the SEC's website at You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which apply only as of the date of this press release and should not be relied upon as representing Vistagen's views as of any subsequent date. Vistagen explicitly disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements other than as may be required by law. If Vistagen does update one or more forward-looking statements, no inference should be made that Vistagen will make additional updates with respect to those or other forward-looking statements. VISTAGEN THERAPEUTICS, INC. CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (in thousands, except share and par value amounts) June 30, 2025 March 31, 2025 (Unaudited) ASSETS Current assets: Cash and cash equivalents $ 48,985 $ 67,131 Marketable securities 14,195 13,351 Prepaid expenses and other current assets 3,536 1,594 Total current assets 66,716 82,076 Property and equipment, net 530 476 Right-of-use asset - operating lease 1,206 1,335 Other assets 472 454 Total assets $ 68,924 $ 84,341 LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY Current liabilities: Accounts payable $ 486 $ 653 Accrued expenses 6,582 8,810 Note payable 933 — Deferred revenue - current portion 2,514 2,588 Operating lease obligation - current portion 640 561 Total current liabilities 11,155 12,612 Deferred revenue - non-current portion 221 391 Operating lease obligation - non-current portion 783 948 Total liabilities 12,159 13,951 Commitments and contingencies Stockholders' equity: Preferred stock, $0.001 par value; 10,000,000 shares authorized at June 30, 2025 and March 31, 2025; no shares outstanding at June 30, 2025 and March 31, 2025 - - Common stock, $0.001 par value; 325,000,000 shares authorized at June 30, 2025 and March 31, 2025; 29,286,585 and 29,001,481 shares issued at June 30, 2025 and March 31, 2025, respectively 29 29 Additional paid-in capital 483,430 481,956 Treasury stock, at cost, 4,522 shares of common stock held at June 30, 2025 and March 31, 2025 (3,968 ) (3,968 ) Accumulated other comprehensive income 1 5 Accumulated deficit (422,727 ) (407,632 ) Total stockholders' equity 56,765 70,390 Total liabilities and stockholders' equity $ 68,924 $ 84,341 Expand VISTAGEN THERAPEUTICS, INC. CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS AND COMPREHENSIVE LOSS (unaudited) (in thousands, except share and per share data) Three Months Ended June 30, 2025 2024 Revenues: Sublicense and other revenue $ 244 $ 84 Total revenues 244 84 Operating expenses: Research and development 11,678 7,648 General and administrative 4,370 4,567 Total operating expenses 16,048 12,215 Loss from operations (15,804 ) (12,131 ) Other income, net: Interest income, net 711 1,398 Other expense (2 ) — Loss before income taxes (15,095 ) (10,733 ) Income taxes — — Net loss $ (15,095 ) $ (10,733 ) Unrealized gain (loss) on marketable securities (4 ) 2,000 Comprehensive loss $ (15,099 ) $ (10,731 ) Basic and diluted net loss per common share $ (0.47 ) $ (0.35 ) Weighted average common shares outstanding, basic and diluted 31,930,665 30,603,435 Expand
