Created 10-Feb-20
Modified 13-Dec-23
At 11:03 p.m. EST Sunday, Feb. 9, 2020, NASA launched Solar Orbiter, an international collaborative mission between ESA (European Space Agency) and NASA.
The spacecraft launched on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V 411 rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS) in Florida.
Solar Orbiter will observe the Sun with high spatial resolution telescopes and capture observations in the environment directly surrounding the spacecraft to create a one-of-a-kind picture of how the Sun can affect the space environment throughout our solar system. The spacecraft also will provide the first-ever images of the Sun’s poles and the never-before-observed magnetic environment there, which helps drive the Sun’s 11-year solar cycle and its periodic outpouring of solar storms.
Photos taken from SR 528 causeway at about 13 miles away.
© Dennis Huff
