Solar Orbiter

Date: Mon, Oct 28, 2019 | 07:30 - 07:55 GMT | 08:30 - 08:55 CET

Replay: Mon, Oct 28, 2019 | 15:30 - 15:55 GMT | 16:30 - 16:55 CET

Type: ESA TV Exchange

Format: 16:9

Engineers have completed their testing of ESA’s Solar Orbiter spacecraft in preparation for launch early next year. 

Equipped with a suite of ten instruments, Solar Orbiter will capture the closest ever pictures of our star, the first images of its poles, and make detailed observations of solar activity. Its specially designed heatshield is capable of enduring temperatures of more than 500 degrees Celsius. 

Over the past year, Solar Orbiter has been undergoing a series of rigorous tests at the IABG test centre near Munich, Germany. The spacecraft is due to be packed into an Antonov cargo plane on 31 October for shipping to Florida. Launch on an Atlas 5 rocket from Cape Canaveral, is planned for February 2020.

This A&B Roll includes interviews of :

Daniel MÜLLER, Solar Orbiter Project Scientist, ESA (in English & German)

César GARCÍA, Solar Orbiter Project Manager, ESA (in English & Spanish)

Frédéric AUCHÈRE,  Solar Orbiter Principal Investigator  (English & French)

Tim Horbury, Solar Orbiter Principal Investigator (English)

Ian Walters, Airbus Defence and Space (English)

Justin Byrne, Airbus Defence and Space (English)

Eckard Settelmeyer, Airbus Defence and Space  (German)

More information at: https://sci.esa.int/web/solar-orbiter/

Preview and download:
https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Videos/2019/10/Solar_Orbiter

Script:
Solar Orbiter_script_FINAL_RH23_10_19.docx

Satellite Parameters: Eutelsat 9A at 9 degrees E, transponder 59, downlink frequency 11900.1 horizontally polarised, symbol rate 27,500 FEC 2/3.