Solar Orbiter

Artist impression of ESA's Solar Orbiter spacecraft.
Solar Orbiter is an international collaboration between ESA and NASA to study the Sun and what drives the dynamic outflow of solar wind that can create ‘space weather’ at Earth. Its suite of instruments will provide close up observations of the Sun, including the first images of the polar regions, as well as in situ measurements of the plasma environment around the spacecraft. The mission is scheduled for launch from Cape Canaveral in February 2020.