Solar Orbiter
The Solar Orbiter (SolO) is a Sun-observing probe developed by the European Space Agency (ESA) with a National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) contribution. Solar Orbiter, designed to obtain detailed measurements of the inner heliosphere and the nascent solar wind, will also perform close observations of the polar regions of the Sun which is difficult to do from Earth. These observations are important in investigating how the Sun creates and controls its heliosphere.
Artist's impression of the Solar Orbiter orbiting the Sun | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mission type | Solar heliophysics orbiter | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Operator | ESA / NASA | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| COSPAR ID | 2020-010A | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| SATCAT no. | 45167 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Website | www.esa.int | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mission duration | 7 years (nominal) + 3 years (extended) Elapsed: 4 years and 3 days | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spacecraft properties | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Manufacturer | Airbus Defence and Space | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Launch mass | 1,800 kg (4,000 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Payload mass | 209 kg (461 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Dimensions | 2.5 × 3.1 × 2.7 m (8 × 10 × 9 ft) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Power | 180 watts | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Start of mission | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Launch date | 10 February 2020, 04:03 UTC | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rocket | Atlas V 411 (AV-087) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Launch site | Cape Canaveral, SLC-41 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Contractor | United Launch Alliance | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Entered service | November 2021 (start of main mission) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Orbital parameters | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Reference system | Heliocentric | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Regime | Elliptic orbit | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Perihelion altitude | 0.28 au | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Aphelion altitude | 0.91 au | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Inclination | 24° (nominal mission) 33° (extended mission) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Period | 168 days | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Epoch | ? | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Main | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Type | Ritchey–Chrétien reflector | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Diameter | 160 mm | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Focal length | 2.5 m | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wavelengths | Visible light, ultraviolet, X-rays | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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Insignia for the Solar Orbiter mission. | |||||||||||||||||||||||
SolO makes observations of the Sun from an eccentric orbit moving as close as ≈60 solar radii (RS), or 0.284 astronomical units (au), placing it inside Mercury's perihelion of 0.3075 au. During the mission the orbital inclination will be raised to about 24°. The total mission cost is US$1.5 billion, counting both ESA and NASA contributions.
SolO was launched on 10 February 2020 from Cape Canaveral, Florida (USA). The nominal mission is planned until the end of 2026, with a potential extension until 2030.