← ALL PROBES
DISTANCE FROM SUN0.5539 AU
DISTANCE FROM EARTH0.6206 AU
VELOCITY41.439 km/s
LIGHT TIME5 min
ACTIVE
UPDATED1h ago
0.5539
AU FROM SUN
DISTANCE
82,862,261 km
149,180
KM/H
VELOCITY
6 years, 216 days
MISSION DURATION
AND COUNTING
5
MINUTES LIGHT TIME
ONE-WAY SIGNAL DELAY
1,800
KG
LAUNCH MASS
2
TARGETS
Venus, Sun
Solar Orbiter is a orbiter mission by ESA / NASA targeting Sun. Launched February 10, 2020. Currently 0.5539 AU from the Sun.
ABOUT SOLAR ORBITER
Solar Orbiter is an ESA/NASA mission studying the Sun from closer than any previous solar imaging spacecraft. It is progressively tilting its orbit to image the Sun’s poles for the first time. Its images have revealed previously unseen features including miniature solar flares called “campfires”.
KEY DISCOVERIES
- Highest resolution images of the Sun ever taken
- Small magnetic features called campfires in solar atmosphere
- Solar hedgehog structures on the Sun surface
TECHNOLOGY & FIRSTS
- First close-up images of the Sun poles
- Heat shield withstands 500u00b0C
- Combined remote-sensing and in-situ measurements
SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS (10)
EUI (Extreme UV Imager)
PHI (Polarimetric/Helioseismic Imager)
SPICE (Spectral Investigation)
STIX (X-ray Spectrometer/Telescope)
Metis (Coronagraph)
SoloHI (Heliospheric Imager)
EPD (Energetic Particle Detector)
MAG (Magnetometer)
RPW (Radio/Plasma Waves)
SWA (Solar Wind Analyser)
SPACECRAFT SPECIFICATIONS
Launch Mass1,800 kg (3,969 lbs)
PowerSolar panels (180W)
Launch VehicleAtlas V 411
Launch DateFebruary 10, 2020
Arrival DateJune 15, 2020
ProgramCosmic Vision
MISSION TRAJECTORY
1
Venus
2
Sun
OTHER SUN MISSIONS
🚀 LAUNCH MISSION