Solar Orbiter returns to Earth on 27 November for the first – and last – time since its launch in 2020. Flying past the Earth with a closest approach of only 460 km, Solar Orbiter will lose enough energy to place on course for a close pass of the Sun in March 2022. The flyby marks the end of the cruise phase and the beginning of the science phase of the mission. Solar Orbiter contains two sets of instruments. The first is the in-situ instruments that measure the magnetic field and particles in the solar wind around the spacecraft. The second is the remote sensing equipment that takes images and readings of the Sun’s surface. A key mission objective is to link these two data sets to show how surface features influence the conditions in the solar wind, giving rise to the phenomenon of space weather.
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Source: ESA Top Multimedia