STATION 03 · ASTROMETRICS DOSSIER ACTIVE SCIENCE

Solar Orbiter

ESA / NASA • Target: High-Inclination Solar Polar Orbit • In flight: 6y 6m (Launched Feb 10, 2020)

REAL-TIME ASTROMETRICS CONSOLE

FRAME: HELIOCENTRIC / J2000

Heliocentric Distance 0.72000 AU 107,710,467 km

Round-Trip Light Time (RTLT) 11m 59s One-Way Delay: 05m 59s

Spacecraft Velocity 32.00 km/s 115,200 km/h heliocentric

Trajectory Profile Inclined heliocentric orbit utilizing repeated Venus resonant gravity assists Phase: Out-of-Ecliptic Science Operations

01 Mission Architecture & Scientific Objectives

Solar Orbiter is an international collaboration between ESA and NASA designed to capture the first-ever close-up images of the Sun’s polar regions. By using repeated Venus gravity assists to crank its orbital inclination above 30 degrees, Solar Orbiter investigates the solar dynamo, polar magnetic reversals, and the origins of the solar wind.

02 Scientific Instrument Payload

Sensor	Subsystem	Scientific Measurement Function	State
EUI	Extreme Ultraviolet Imager	High-resolution solar corona imaging; discovered "campfires" miniature flares.	Active
PHI	Polarimetric & Helioseismic Imager	Maps vector magnetic field and subsurface seismic acoustic waves.	Active
Metis	Coronagraph	Simultaneous visible and UV imaging of the coronal structure.	Active
RPW	Radio and Plasma Waves	Measures magnetic and electric field fluctuations in the local solar wind.	Active

03 Historical Astrometric Chronology

2020

Launch on Atlas V from Cape Canaveral on Feb 10.

2021

First close perihelion passage; captured closest images of the Sun.

2025

First orbital inclination tilt above 18° via Venus flyby.

2026+

High-inclination polar passes imaging unseen polar solar dynamo fields.