Solar Orbiter

THE MISSION

Solar Orbiter will provide scientific data for better understanding of the mechanisms on the Sun that cause bursts of high-energy particles and coronal mass ejections, which can disrupt electronic equipment on earth. The Solar Orbiter mission will perform closeupclose-up observations of the Sun and will be and its effects on the solar system. one of the closest approaches ever. When doing that, it must survive thirteen times more intense sunlight than satellites orbiting the Earth.

OHB SWEDEN CONTRIBUTION

To position itself in the challenging orbit, Solar Orbiter will make a complex series of gravitational-assist flybys past both Earth and Venus, guided and propelled by a very advanced and highly autonomous AOCS system and a chemical propulsion system, both delivered by OHB Sweden.

CUSTOMER/USER

Solar Orbiter is the first medium-class mission in ESA's Cosmic Vision programme OHB Sweden has been selected by the European Space Agency (ESA) and Airbus DS (UK) as contractor for the above-mentioned subsystems.

LAUNCH DATE

Solar Orbiter was launched on Feb 10, 2020, from Cape Canaveral in the US. The mission lifetime will be 7 years.