The Solar Orbiter
- Paper number
IAC-05-A3.2.B.07
- Author
Mr. Aleksander Lyngvi, European Space Agency (ESA)/ESTEC, The Netherlands
- Coauthor
Mr. Lothar Gerlach, European Space Agency (ESA)/ESTEC, The Netherlands
- Coauthor
Mr. Alex Jeanes, European Space Agency (ESA)/ESTEC, The Netherlands
- Coauthor
Dr. Richard Marsden, European Space Agency (ESA)/ESTEC, The Netherlands
- Coauthor
Mr. Alan Owens, European Space Agency (ESA)/ESTEC, The Netherlands
- Coauthor
Dr. Anthony Peacock, European Space Agency (ESA)/ESTEC, The Netherlands
- Coauthor
Mr. Nicola Rando, European Space Agency (ESA)/ESTEC, The Netherlands
- Year
2005
- Abstract
The Solar Orbiter mission is part of ESA’s science program, Cosmic Vision 2020. In the last year this mission has been studied in an assessment phase aiming at demonstrating technical feasibility and defining the mission at systems level. The Cosmic Vision 2020 was presented for ESA’s Space Policy Committee (SPC) as the new science programme in 2002 and it contains groups of missions related technically or programmatically. In this programme the Solar Orbiter was grouped together with BepiColombo and the already launched SMART-1. By pursuing use of common elements for these missions it is envisioned that the total mission costs can be considerably reduced. The Solar Orbiter will explore the innermost regions of the heliosphere from high heliopsheric latitudes. It will reach a distance of 0.22 AU from the Sun and obtain an inclination of 35 degrees with respect to the Sun’s equator. In these areas a series of in-situ and remote sensing measurements will be performed, providing first time in-situ measurements of regions so close to the sun and at the same time provide arcsec resolution imagery. Additionally, the Solar Orbiter will provide the first ever out-of-the-ecliptic imaging and spectroscopic observations of the Sun’s poles. The main challenge of the Solar Orbiter is the thermal environment at 0.22 AU. A sun shield on a permanent sun facing side will limit the thermal flux into the spacecraft thus providing a more benign thermal environment in the spacecraft bus. The current mission profile is based on a launch in 2013 on a Soyuz 2-1B with a Fregat upperstage from Centre Spatial Guyanais (CSG). The Solar Orbiter will be launched directly into Earth escape before utilizing 2 Venus and 1 Earth gravity assist maneuvers to obtain a Venus resonant science orbit, thus facilitating subsequent Venus gravity assists to raise the orbit inclination. The current baseline is using a Solar Electric Propulsion module (SEPM) derived from BepiColombo to reach the science orbit after a 1.8 years cruise. In this paper the current status of the Solar Orbiter will be presented, together with a description of the spacecraft design and the strawman payload. The strong link to BepiColombo through reuse of elements will be outlined and specific technology development needs for the Solar Orbiter will be described.
- Abstract document
- Manuscript document
IAC-05-A3.2.B.07.pdf (🔒 authorized access only).
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