Signal Acquired

Illustration of Solar Orbiter following launch, with solar arrays and antennas deployed.
Illustration of Solar Orbiter following launch, with solar arrays and antennas deployed. Image credit: ESA/ATG medialab

The team has received the signal from the Solar Orbiter spacecraft.

Solar Orbiter is an international collaborative mission between the European Space Agency (ESA) and NASA. The spacecraft will observe the Sun with high spatial resolution telescopes and capture observations in the environment directly surrounding the spacecraft to create a one-of-a-kind picture of how the Sun can affect the space environment throughout the solar system. The spacecraft also will provide the first-ever images of the Sun’s poles and the never-before-observed magnetic environment there, which helps drive the Sun’s 11-year solar cycle and its periodic outpouring of solar storms.