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Solar Orbiter Spacecraft

ResourceID
spase://ESA/Observatory/SolarOrbiter

Description

The European Space Agency, ESA, Solar Orbiter mission will study the Sun from a highly elliptical orbit getting as close as 0.28 AU or 42 million km from which it will use a suite of instruments to make high-latitude observations of the Sun and heliosphere, including the magnetic field, energetic particles, solar wind, and transient phenomena.

The Solar Orbiter primary science objectives are to study:

    1. the drivers of the solar wind and the origin of the coronal magnetic field to determine how solar transients drive heliospheric variability
    1. learn how solar eruptions produce the energetic particles that fill the heliosphere
    1. how the solar dynamo works and drives connections between the Sun and the heliosphere

Solar Orbiter comprises a 2.5 m ⨯ 3.0 m ⨯ 2.5 m box-shaped bus with two solar panel wings spanning 18 m to supply power. Total launch mass is 1800 kg. There is a 4.4 m instrument boom and three 6.5 m antennas protruding from the spacecraft body. A carbon fiber composite, titanium layered solar shield covers one side of the spacecraft. The shield has apertures for various instruments. The spacecraft is 3-axis stabilized to keep the heat shield oriented towards the Sun. Telemetry is dual X-band through steerable medium and high-gain antennas. Low gain antennas are used in the launch and early orbit phase and are available for backup.

Solar Orbiter carries two types of instruments, in-situ instruments making direct measurements of the heliospheric environment, and remote sensing instruments, which view the Sun and heliosphere from a distance.

The in-situ instruments comprise:

    1. Energetic Particle Detector, EPD
    1. Magnetometer, MAG
    1. Radio and Plasma Waves sensor, RPW
    1. Solar Wind Plasma Analyser, SWA

The remote-sensing instruments comprise:

    1. Extreme Ultraviolet Imager, EUI
    1. Coronagraph, METIS
    1. Polarimetric and Helioseismic Imager, PHI
    1. Heliospheric Imager, SoloHI
    1. Spectral Imaging of the Coronal Environment, SPICE
    1. X-ray Spectrometer/Telescope, STIX

The total massm of the scientific payload is 209 kg.

Solar Orbiter launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on 10 February 2020 at 04:03 UT or at 23:03 Eastern Standard Time, EST, on February 9th. The spacecraft launched on an Atlas 5-411 (AV-087) into a short Earth parking orbit followed by injection into an elliptical heliocentric orbit. The first perihelion will be in June 2020. The mission will use six gravity assist maneuvers during the 7-year nominal mission:

+---------------------------------+
| Flyby | Planet | Encounter Date |
|---------------------------------|
| 1 | Venus | 2020-12-26 |
| 2 | Venus | 2021-08-08 |
| 3 | Earth | 2021-11-26 |
| 4 | Venus | 2022-09-03 |
| 5 | Venus | 2025-02-18 |
| 6 | Venus | 2026-12-28 |
+---------------------------------+

The series of encounters will tilt the spacecraft orbit to an inclination of 25° and will yield an orbit with a perihelion of 0.28 AU, an aphelion of 0.91 AU, and a period of 168 days. Solar Orbiter will make fourteen perihelion passes during the nominal mission. If a three year extended mission is approved, Solar Orbiter will make three more Venus flybys that will bring the inclination to 33°.

+---------------------------------+
| Flyby | Planet | Encounter Date |
|---------------------------------|
| 7 | Venus | 2028-03-17 |
| 8 | Venus | 2029-06-10 |
| 9 | Venus | 2030-09-02 |
+---------------------------------+

The extended mission will involve an additional eight more perihelion passes.

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Details

Version:2.6.0

Observatory

ResourceID
spase://ESA/Observatory/SolarOrbiter
ResourceHeader
ResourceName
Solar Orbiter Spacecraft
ReleaseDate
2020-02-10 04:03:00
RevisionHistory
RevisionEvent
ReleaseDate
2021-05-30 12:34:56.789
Note
Updated to SPASE Version 2.3.2 if needed, Applied quality conntrol for DOI usage, LFB
RevisionEvent
ReleaseDate
2023-07-26 13:03:03.588
Note
Corrected Launch Date to Feb 10, SY
RevisionEvent
ReleaseDate
2023-09-04 00:08:46
Note
Changed Naming Authority from SMWG to ESA; SY
Description

The European Space Agency, ESA, Solar Orbiter mission will study the Sun from a highly elliptical orbit getting as close as 0.28 AU or 42 million km from which it will use a suite of instruments to make high-latitude observations of the Sun and heliosphere, including the magnetic field, energetic particles, solar wind, and transient phenomena.

The Solar Orbiter primary science objectives are to study:

    1. the drivers of the solar wind and the origin of the coronal magnetic field to determine how solar transients drive heliospheric variability
    1. learn how solar eruptions produce the energetic particles that fill the heliosphere
    1. how the solar dynamo works and drives connections between the Sun and the heliosphere

Solar Orbiter comprises a 2.5 m ⨯ 3.0 m ⨯ 2.5 m box-shaped bus with two solar panel wings spanning 18 m to supply power. Total launch mass is 1800 kg. There is a 4.4 m instrument boom and three 6.5 m antennas protruding from the spacecraft body. A carbon fiber composite, titanium layered solar shield covers one side of the spacecraft. The shield has apertures for various instruments. The spacecraft is 3-axis stabilized to keep the heat shield oriented towards the Sun. Telemetry is dual X-band through steerable medium and high-gain antennas. Low gain antennas are used in the launch and early orbit phase and are available for backup.

Solar Orbiter carries two types of instruments, in-situ instruments making direct measurements of the heliospheric environment, and remote sensing instruments, which view the Sun and heliosphere from a distance.

The in-situ instruments comprise:

    1. Energetic Particle Detector, EPD
    1. Magnetometer, MAG
    1. Radio and Plasma Waves sensor, RPW
    1. Solar Wind Plasma Analyser, SWA

The remote-sensing instruments comprise:

    1. Extreme Ultraviolet Imager, EUI
    1. Coronagraph, METIS
    1. Polarimetric and Helioseismic Imager, PHI
    1. Heliospheric Imager, SoloHI
    1. Spectral Imaging of the Coronal Environment, SPICE
    1. X-ray Spectrometer/Telescope, STIX

The total massm of the scientific payload is 209 kg.

Solar Orbiter launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on 10 February 2020 at 04:03 UT or at 23:03 Eastern Standard Time, EST, on February 9th. The spacecraft launched on an Atlas 5-411 (AV-087) into a short Earth parking orbit followed by injection into an elliptical heliocentric orbit. The first perihelion will be in June 2020. The mission will use six gravity assist maneuvers during the 7-year nominal mission:

+---------------------------------+
| Flyby | Planet | Encounter Date |
|---------------------------------|
| 1 | Venus | 2020-12-26 |
| 2 | Venus | 2021-08-08 |
| 3 | Earth | 2021-11-26 |
| 4 | Venus | 2022-09-03 |
| 5 | Venus | 2025-02-18 |
| 6 | Venus | 2026-12-28 |
+---------------------------------+

The series of encounters will tilt the spacecraft orbit to an inclination of 25° and will yield an orbit with a perihelion of 0.28 AU, an aphelion of 0.91 AU, and a period of 168 days. Solar Orbiter will make fourteen perihelion passes during the nominal mission. If a three year extended mission is approved, Solar Orbiter will make three more Venus flybys that will bring the inclination to 33°.

+---------------------------------+
| Flyby | Planet | Encounter Date |
|---------------------------------|
| 7 | Venus | 2028-03-17 |
| 8 | Venus | 2029-06-10 |
| 9 | Venus | 2030-09-02 |
+---------------------------------+

The extended mission will involve an additional eight more perihelion passes.

Acknowledgement
Please acknowledge the European Space Agency, ESA
Funding
Agency
European Space Agency, ESA, and National Aeronautical and Space Agency, NASA, Programs
Project
Solar Orbiter Mission
Contacts
RolePersonStartDateStopDateNote
1.ProjectManagerspase://SMWG/Person/Cesar.Garcia.Marirrodriga
2.MetadataContactspase://SMWG/Person/Seiji.Yashiro
3.MetadataContactspase://SMWG/Person/Lee.Frost.Bargatze
InformationURL
Name
Solar Orbiter Mission Web Page, ESA
URL
Description

Solar Orbiter overview with links to more detailed information, hosted by the European Space Agency, ESA

Language
en
InformationURL
Name
Solar Orbiter Mission Web Page, NASA
URL
Description

Solar Orbiter overview with links to more detailed information, hosted by the National Aeronautical and Agency, NASA

Language
en
InformationURL
Name
SolarOrbiter Spacecraft paper, Published by Sol. Phys., Date: 2005-05-23
URL
Description

Author List: Muller, D., Marsden, R. G., St. Cyr, O. C., Gilbert, H. R., & the Solar Orbiter Team

InformationURL
Name
Solar Orbiter Spacecraft, NSSDC Master Catalog Listing
URL
Description

NSSDC Master Catalog Listing for the Solar Orbiter Spacecraft, NSSDCA/COSPAR ID: 2020-010A

Language
en
PriorIDs
spase://SMWG/Observatory/SolarOrbiter
Location
ObservatoryRegion
Heliosphere.Inner
ObservatoryRegion
Heliosphere.NearEarth
OperatingSpan
StartDate
2020-02-10 04:03:00
Note
The start date and time listed here correspond to when Solar Orbiter was launched