SOLAR ORBITER MISSION AND SYSTEM ASSESSMENT

摘要

In the context of parallel competitive assessment studies for the ESA Science Directorate, Astrium was awarded a contract in 2004 to investigate mission and system concepts for the Solar Orbiter mission with the objective to demonstrate the mission technical feasibility, optimise the system design and assess the mission programmatic (SODnning Dnd posts). The SoQD 2rEiter pission (S2L2) is SDt oI the ESA's Spienpe 3rogr DP P e Cosp iF s~ision. The Solar Orbiter spacecraft will explore the innermost regions of the heliosphere from high e~eliospheric latitudes. It will reach a distance of 0.22 A~r from the Sun and achieve an inclination of 34 degrees Z_ith resseFt to the Sun's e~Turjor. 'n these DreDs Dseries oI in-situ Dnd rep ote sensing p e Dsurep ents Z_i OOEe performed, providing first time in-situ measurements of regions so close to the Sun and at the same time providing arcsec resolution imagery. This paper describes the Solar Orbiter mission and system investigation performed by Astrium in the frame of the 18-month assessment studies that ended last year, to be used as a basis Ior the stDrting "SoOD 2 rEiter Her) ShieOd / Systep TeFhnoOogy" study.