Solar Orbiter

ESA"s Solar Orbiter (SO) mission is planned for around 2015. It will provide the first opportunity to study the dynamics of the solar corona and the internal heliosphere at a radial distance of 45 solar radii (0.21 AU) over a long period.

The SO's orbit will make it possible to make observations in phase with the Sun's rotation to directly associate high spatial resolution observations with events at the Sun's surface and in the corona with in-situ measurements of the solar wind.