Last glimpse of Solar Orbiter before launch
Date: 21 January 2020
Satellite: Solar Orbiter
Location: Astrotech payload processing facility, Florida, USA
Copyright: ESA–S. Corvaja
A last look at ESA's cutting-edge Sun-observer Solar Orbiter before its encapsulation into the Atlas V 411 rocket fairing at the Astrotech facilities near Kennedy Space Center in Florida during launch preparations on 21 January 2020. The spacecraft is painted with SolarBlack, a perfectly black coating made of charred bone, which will help protect the spacecraft against overheating in the harsh conditions close to the Sun.
Last Update: 7 February 2020
