NRL's SoloHI instrument selected for flight on solar orbiter mission
Tuesday, January 24, 2012 - 10:30
in Astronomy & Space
The Naval Research Laboratory's Solar Orbiter Heliospheric Imager (SoloHI), part of the Solar Orbiter mission, is headed for space. The European Space Agency (ESA) has chosen the Solar Orbiter mission as the first mission in its Cosmic Vision Program, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has approved SoloHI to proceed to the next phase in the flight instrument development - to develop the preliminary design and to finish the technology development. The Solar Orbiter spacecraft will study the sun from a closer distance than any mission has ever done. Launch is planned for 2017 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., aboard an expendable launch vehicle.