Orbiting Solar Observatory Program

NASA’s Orbiting Solar Observatory Program was a series of eight spacecraft launched from March 1962 through June 1975 for long-term solar-physics observations above Earth’s atmosphere. Across a complete 11-year solar cycle, the OSO missions measured solar electromagnetic radiation and investigated the structure and disturbances of the Sun’s atmosphere, laying groundwork for modern heliophysics.

Identity

Aliases: Orbiting Solar ObservatoriesOSO ProgramOSO seriesOrbiting Solar Observatory
Domains: spaceflight
Name: Orbiting Solar Observatory Program
Status: completed
Types: scienceresearchoperationsdevelopment

Details

Description: NASA’s Orbiting Solar Observatory Program was a series of eight spacecraft launched from March 1962 through June 1975 for long-term solar-physics observations above Earth’s atmosphere. Across a complete 11-year solar cycle, the OSO missions measured solar electromagnetic radiation and investigated the structure and disturbances of the Sun’s atmosphere, laying groundwork for modern heliophysics.
End Date: 1975-06-21
Leads
Participants: -
Start Date: 1962-03-07

Assets & Meta

Creation Time: August 13, 2026 at 14:54:32 UTC
Updated Time: August 13, 2026 at 14:54:32 UTC

Other

Official Urls: https://www.nasa.gov/missions/soho/a-look-back-at-nasa-solar-missions/https://heasarc.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/heasarc/missions/oso1.htmlhttps://heasarc.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/oso8/oso8_about.htmlhttps://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/19730011158/downloads/19730011158.pdf