Solar Orbiter exploring the Sun's realm
![](https://cdn.sci.esa.int/documents/34903/35595/1567216988946-SolarOrbiter_illustration_410.jpg)
Date: 25 April 2012
Depicts: Solar Orbiter exploring the Sun's realm
Copyright: ESA/AOES
ESA's next generation Sun explorer, Solar Orbiter will be launched in 2017. It will investigate the connections and the coupling between the Sun and the heliosphere, a huge bubble in space created by the solar wind. The solar wind can cause auroras and disrupt satellite-based communication.
Last Update: 1 September 2019