ESA Science & Technology - Orbit of Ulysses

Animation of the ~17.5-year journey by the Ulysses spacecraft, indicated with the red trail.

Ulysses was launched on 6 October 1990 at 11:47:15 UTC. After sixteen months of interplanetary cruise, Ulysses was placed in its operational orbit by a Jupiter gravity-assist on 8 February 1992.

The spacecraft entered an elliptical, heliocentric orbit inclined at 80.2° to the solar equator, with an orbital period of 6.2 years, aphelion at ~5.4 AU from the Sun and a perihelion distance of ~1.34 AU.

The orbits of the Earth (blue) and Jupiter (yellow) are indicated, as well as Jupiter's position. The animation runs from launch up to mid June 2008.