Solar Orbiter

Solar Orbiter is ESA's mission to investigate the Sun. Our special interest is to learn about the properties of the solar wind close to its source. To investigate these, we will build parts of the electronics of the Radio and Plasma Wave instrument (RPW) necessary for measuring electric fields and plasma density fluctuations.

Solar Orbiter was selected by ESA in October 2011, and we are now working on designing the instrument.

Solar Orbiter concept sketch (© Astrium). The yellow square is the heat shield necessary to fend off the solar heat. Two of the RPW antennas can be seen pointing down while the third points up from the spacecraft body.

More Information

• Solar Orbiter home at ESA
• ESA videoclip describing the Solar Orbiter mission
• Solar Orbiter page at the lead RPW team at LESIA, Meudon (Frankrike)