The Airbus-built Solar Orbiter satellite has been successfully mounted on top of an Atlas V 411 launch rocket and is ready to fly, Airbus announced on Tuesday. The European Space Agency (ESA) mission is designed to study “how the Sun creates and controls the giant bubble of plasma surrounding the Solar System and influences the planets within it.” The orbiter is scheduled to launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on Feb. 9.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://www.avweb.com/aviation-news/space-flight/solar-orbiter-ready-for-launch