Solar Orbiter spacecraft
Solar Orbiter is ESA's near-Sun observatory spacecraft, built in Stevenage by Airbus Defence and Space for a joint ESA-NASA mission. Its heat-shielded platform combines remote-sensing and in-situ observations while Venus gravity assists raise its heliographic latitude for views of the Sun's polar regions.
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Identity
- Aliases
- Solar OrbiterSolOSolar Orbiter spacecraft
- Family Name
- Solar Orbiter
- Full Name
- Solar Orbiter spacecraft
- Roles
- interplanetary_probeorbiterobservatoryresearch
- Status
- active
- Type
- spacecraft
Details
- Description
- Solar Orbiter is ESA's near-Sun observatory spacecraft, built in Stevenage by Airbus Defence and Space for a joint ESA-NASA mission. Its heat-shielded platform combines remote-sensing and in-situ observations while Venus gravity assists raise its heliographic latitude for views of the Sun's polar regions.
- Dimensions
- Height M
- 2.5
- Length M
- 3.1
- Width M
- 2.7
- First Flight Year
- 2,020
- Manufacturer
- Operator
- Programs
- Spacecraft Specs
- Launch Mass Kg
- 1,800
- Reusability
- expendable
Links
Assets & Meta
- Creation Time
- July 31, 2026 at 23:15:04 UTC
- Updated Time
- August 13, 2026 at 19:08:22 UTC