Solar Orbiter fairing separation

Visualisation of the Atlas V 411 fairing separation revealing Solar Orbiter attached to the rocket upper stage.

Solar Orbiter is an ESA mission with strong NASA participation. Its mission is to perform unprecedented close-up observations of the Sun and from high-latitudes, providing the first images of the uncharted polar regions of the Sun, and investigating the Sun-Earth connection. Launch is currently scheduled for 9 February 2020 from Cape Canaveral, Florida, US (10 February European time).