Solar Orbiter

A United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V 411 rocket launched the Solar Orbiter spacecraft from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, on 10 February 2020, at 04:03 UTC (9 February, at 23:03 EST). Built by Airbus, Solar Orbiter is an international collaborative mission between ESA (European Space Agency) and NASA, designed to observe the Sun with high spatial resolution telescopes. Solar Orbiter will provide the first-ever images of the Sun’s poles and the never-before-observed magnetic environment there.
Credit: NASA

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The Solar Orbiter spacecraft successfully separated from the Centaur upper stage of the United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V 411 launch vehicle, 56 minutes after being launched from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, on 10 February 2020, at 04:03 UTC (9 February, at 23:03 EST). Built by Airbus, Solar Orbiter is an international collaborative mission between ESA (European Space Agency) and NASA, designed to observe the Sun with high spatial resolution telescopes. Solar Orbiter will provide the first-ever images of the Sun’s poles and the never-before-observed magnetic environment there.
Credit: NASA/ESA/ULA

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A United Launch Alliance Atlas V 411 configuration rocket launched the Solar Orbiter spacecraft on its journey to study the sun for the European Space Agency (ESA) and NASA on Feb. 9, 2020 at 11:03 p.m. EST.

The spacecraft will make looping orbits around the sun and use 10 instruments to observe solar physics in unprecedented detail. At closest approach, Solar Orbiter will be about approximately 26 million miles (42 million km) from the sun.

Solar Orbiter is an international cooperative mission between ESA and NASA. ESA's Engineering & Test Center (ESTEC) in The Netherlands is managing the development effort. Airbus developed the spacecraft. The European Space Operations Center (ESOC) in Germany will operate Solar Orbiter after launch.

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Scientists from NASA and ESA (European Space Agency) have released the first data captured by Solar Orbiter.

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