Radio and Plasma Waves (RPW): Observatoire de Paris Polarimetric and Helioseismic Imager (PHI): Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research (MPS), Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía (IAA) Extreme Ultraviolet Imager (EUI): Royal Observatory of Belgium, Centre Spatial de Liège, Institut d'astrophysique spatiale, Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research (MPS) Spectral Imaging of the Coronal Environment (SPICE): Institut d'astrophysique spatiale Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research (MPS) Spectrometer/Telescope for Imaging X-rays (STIX): FHNW, Space Research Centre of Polish Academy of Sciences, Leibniz-Institut für Astrophysik Potsdam (AIP) Coronagraph (Metis): University of Florence, INAF, Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research (MPS) Heliospheric Imager (SoloHI): United States Naval Research Laboratory Launch and flight Launch delays In April 2015, the launch was set back from July 2017 to October 2018. In August 2017, Solar Orbiter was considered "on track" for a launch in February 2019. The launch occurred on 10 February 2020 on an Atlas V 411. Launch The Atlas V 411 (AV-087) lifted off from SLC-41 at Cape Canaveral, Florida, at 04:03 UTC. The Solar Orbiter spacecraft separated from the Centaur upper stage nearly 53 minutes later, and the European Space Agency acquired the first signals from the spacecraft a few minutes later. Trajectory After launch, Solar Orbiter will take approximately 3.5 years, using repeated gravity assists from Earth and Venus, to reach its operational orbit, an elliptical orbit with perihelion 0.28 AU and aphelion 0.91 AU. The first flyby was of Venus in December 2020. Over the expected mission duration of 7 years, it will use additional gravity assists from Venus to raise its inclination from 0° to 24°, allowing it a better view of the Sun's poles. If an extended mission is approved, the inclination could rise further to 33°. During its cruise phase to Venus, Solar Orbiter passed through the ion tail of Comet C/2019 Y4 (ATLAS) from 31 May to 1 June 2020. It passed through the comet's dust tail on 6 June 2020. In June 2020, Solar Orbiter came within of the Sun, and captured the closest pictures of the Sun ever taken. Mission timeline April 2012: €319 million contract to build orbiter awarded to Astrium UK June 2014: Solar shield completes 2 week bake test September 2018: Spacecraft is shipped to IABG in Germany to begin the environmental test campaign February 2020: Successful launch May-June 2020: Encounter with the ion and dust