Solar Orbiter after installation of multi-layer insulation and heat shield
Date: 21 November 2018
Satellite: Solar Orbiter
Location: IABG test facilities in Ottobrunn, Germany
Copyright: Airbus Defence and Space
The Solar Orbiter spacecraft after the installation of multi-layer insulation and the heat shield at the IABG facility in Ottobrunn, Germany, where the first environmental tests are taking place.
The heat shield, visible as the black panel in this image, will provide protection from the high levels of solar flux near perihelion.
The high-tech heat shield is made of several protective layers of titanium, the outer of which is coated with a protective skin called "Solar Black", which has been developed specifically for Solar Orbiter.
Sliding doors on the heat shield cover the feed-throughs of most of the remote-sensing instruments.
Last Update: 1 September 2019
