Stevenage firm to keep ESA solar mission on target

Tessella in Stevenage is to assist in the design and development of the Attitude and Orbit Control Subsystem (AOCS) for the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Solar Orbiter mission.

Due to launch from Cape Canaveral in 2017, the Solar Orbiter spacecraft is the first mission in ESA’s Cosmic Vision programme to start its implementation phase.

During its seven-year mission it will help further understanding of the Sun and its effects on the solar system by carrying a payload made up of a suite of in-situ and remote-sensing instruments that will measure the particles, fields and waves of the plasma through which it travels, and simultaneously make observations of the Sun’s surface and outer atmosphere, photosphere and corona.

At its closest point to the Sun Solar Orbiter will be at a distance of 0.28AU (42 million kilometres), in an orbit that takes it out of the ecliptic plane. To position itself in this orbit, the spacecraft will make a series of gravitational-assist fly-bys past Earth and Venus.