The United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket carrying the Solar Orbiter spacecraft stands 189 feet tall. It features the 411 configuration, which means 4-meter payload fairing, 1 solid rocket booster and a 1 engine Centaur upper stage.
Avionics and electrical connections between the spacecraft and rocket also are located on the Centaur. The booster propulsion is provided by the RD-180 engine system (a single engine with two thrust chambers). It burns liquid oxygen and Rocket Propellant-1 (RP-1) a highly purified, rocket-grade kerosene. The Centaur upper stage is powered by an RL10A-4-2 engine that runs on liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen.
Several NASA missions have successfully launched on various configurations of the Atlas V. The 2016 launch of the agency’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft used the 411 configuration.
Tonight, Solar Orbiter will lift off from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Launch is targeted for 11:03 p.m. EST. There is a two-hour launch window. Live coverage of the countdown and liftoff will begin at 10:30 p.m. EST, on NASA TV, NASA TV online, and here on the launch blog.
The spacecraft will provide the first-ever images of the Sun’s poles. Solar Orbiter is an international cooperative mission between the European Space Agency (ESA) and NASA. The spacecraft was developed by Airbus Defence and Space. NASA’s Launch Services Program (LSP) is managing the launch operations.