1 day / second
0.5 AU
Solar Orbiter
Spacecraft
A European-led solar observatory launched in 2020 that studies the Sun from a highly elliptical orbit, getting as close as 42 million kilometers to capture unprecedented views of the solar poles and measure the solar wind.
Key Facts
organization | ESA |
orbital regime | Inner System |
learn more | Wikipedia |
launched | 2020-02-10 |
launch mass | 1,800 kg |
power | 180 watts |
Mission Timeline
Launched
February 10, 2020 at 04:03 UTC
Sol (The Sun)
Orbiter
Solar Orbiter began its mission to study the Sun's polar regions and inner heliosphere in February 2020, making its first close pass at 0.5 AU while carrying instruments to measure the solar wind, magnetic fields, and high-energy particles.
Venus
Gravity Assist
Solar Orbiter performed its first gravity assist maneuver at Venus on December 27, 2020, passing within 7,448 kilometers of the planet to reduce its orbital period and increase its orbital inclination.
