![]() The spacecraft was launched last February and will orbit the Sun, beaming back high-resolution photos and measuring the solar wind as part of the mission led by ESA and partly funded by the UK Space Agency. This should be about one hour after its minimum distance to Earth.Īs the mission zooms off, flying with ever-so-slightly less energy than it arrived with, it and its mission teams will never have to consider space debris again. A bit larger than Earths Moon, Io is the third largest of Jupiters moons, and the fifth one in distance from the planet. It will make numerous flybys of Venus to adjust its orbit, bringing it closer to the Sun and also out of the plane of the Solar System to observe the Sun from progressively higher inclinations. Once the Orbiter comes up from Low Earth Orbit and passes above Geostationary orbit, it is out of the risk zone. This Earth flyby will give Solar Orbiter the final kick before its next close approach to the sun, which will take place in March of next year. The spacecraft emerged from the solar flyby healthy and operating normally. The spacecraft will make one Earth flyby during the early stages of its mission, in November 2021. However, the flyby offers a unique opportunity for science – it can collect data on the Earth’s magnetic field, which can be compared to that from ESA’s Cluster and Swarm missions to give a more detailed, three dimensional description of this highly changeable region around our planet.Īfter the flyby, regular Venus gravity assists will bring the spacecraft higher over the Sun’s never-before-seen poles, providing new details about how activity on the Sun generates space weather. This Earth flyby will give Solar Orbiter the final kick before its next close approach to the sun, which will take place in March of next year. The European Space Agency (ESA) said it will closely monitor the situation and perform collision avoidance manoeuvres if necessary.Īny evasive action will be taken on Friday, about six hours before close approach. NASAs Juno Spacecraft ‘Hears Jupiters Moon Finding plumes at Europa is an exciting prospect, but scientists warn it’ll be tricky, even from up close. ![]() ![]() The spacecraft will fly through another well-used orbital region, called Geostationary orbit, which again is congested with space debris and other satellites. NASAs Juno spacecraft captured sounds of Jupiters moon Ganymede during a June 7, 2021, close flyby. The Parker Solar Probe conducted its 16th perihelion pass on Thursday morning (June 22). But the journey to this region is not without danger either. NASA’s most advanced spacecraft for solar exploration just made another close flyby of the sun. Solar Orbiter makes regular close passes of the sun at about one-third of the sun-Earth distance, within the orbit of the planet Mercury. ![]()
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