Solar Orbiter

Engineers have completed their testing of ESA?s Solar Orbiter spacecraft in preparation for launch early next year.

Equipped with a suite of ten instruments, Solar Orbiter will capture the closest ever pictures of our star, the first images of its poles, and make detailed observations of solar activity. Its specially designed heatshield is capable of enduring temperatures of more than 500 degrees Celsius.

Over the past year, Solar Orbiter has been undergoing a series of rigorous tests at the IABG test centre near Munich, Germany. The spacecraft is due to be packed into an Antonov cargo plane on 31 October for shipping to Florida. Launch on an Atlas 5 rocket from Cape Canaveral, is planned for February 2020.

Learn more about Solar Orbiter: http://bit.ly/ESASolarOrbiter

? Subscribe: http://bit.ly/ESAsubscribe and click twice on the bell button to receive our notifications.

Check out our full video catalog: http://bit.ly/SpaceInVideos
Follow us on Twitter: http://bit.ly/ESAonTwitter
On Facebook: http://bit.ly/ESAonFacebook
On Instagram: http://bit.ly/ESAonInstagram
On Flickr: http://bit.ly/ESAonFlickr

We are Europe’s gateway to space. Our mission is to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world. Check out http://www.esa.int/ESA to get up to speed on everything space related.

Copyright information about our videos is available here: http://www.esa.int/spaceinvideos/Terms_and_Conditions

#ESA
#SolarOrbiter
#SolarSystem

Similar Posts:

• 
  
  
  Closer than ever: Solar Orbiter’s first views of the Sun
• 
  
  
  Solar Orbiter sees ‘campfires’ on the Sun
• 
  
  
  Solar Orbiter launch highlights
• 
  
  
  Testing Solar Orbiter