In March 2021, it was decided to change the typical duration of an LTP from 6 to 3 months, in order to allow Flight Dynamics to produce stable LTP input and to add flexibility by planning LTP closer to the execution dates. The orbit plots still have a six month duration, and the files are named accordinly, but each plot now covers two LTPs.
Additionally the apparent roll angle of the spacecraft with respect to Solar North has been added. This is defined as the angle between the the projection of the solar north rotational pole onto the spacecraft YZ plane and the spacecraft Z axis. This is based on planning files and reflects the current knowledge at the time of plot production.
The Solar Orbiter trajectory is also available as a CDF here
Cruise Phase Orbit Plots by Half-Year (Updated April 2021)
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Science phases (Updated May 2023 with RSW and LTP dates for 2024)
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Animated Versions of the Orbit Plots (Updated May 2023 with RSW and LTP dates for 2024)
- An animated version of the Orbit plot for the entire mission is available : Orbit_Whole_Mission.mp4
- Animated versions per planning period are also available:
- Cruise: Orbit_GSE_2020H1.mp4, Orbit_GSE_2020H2.mp4, Orbit_GSE_2021H1.mp4, Orbit_GSE_2021H2.mp4
- Science Phases: Orbit_GSE_2022H1.mp4, Orbit_GSE_2022H2.mp4, Orbit_GSE_2023H1.mp4, Orbit_GSE_2023H2.mp4, Orbit_GSE_2024H1.mp4, Orbit_GSE_2024H2.mp4, Orbit_GSE_2025H1.mp4, Orbit_GSE_2025H2.mp4, Orbit_GSE_2026H1.mp4, Orbit_GSE_2026H2.mp4, Orbit_GSE_2027H1.mp4, Orbit_GSE_2027H2.mp4, Orbit_GSE_2028H1.mp4, Orbit_GSE_2028H2.mp4, Orbit_GSE_2029H1.mp4, Orbit_GSE_2029H2.mp4, Orbit_GSE_2030H1.mp4, Orbit_GSE_2030H2.mp4
- Zipped Bundle: Orbit_Animations.zip
Animations From 3DView
The following movies show the early mission trajectory, up to Earth GAM 1 when the Nominal Mission starts
- Launch to start NMP, in J2000 frame: SOL_CruiseFeb2020_J2000_50fps_med.mov (3Dview scene file: SOL_CruiseFeb2020_J2000.3dv). N.b. these have not been updated post-launch
- Launch to start NMP, in HEE frame (fixing Sun and Earth): SOL_CruiseFeb2020_HEE_70fps_good.mov (3Dview scene file: SOL_CruiseFeb2020_HEE.3dv) N.b. these have not been updated post-launch
The following movie files are also available, to be run in 3Dview (n.b. these have not been updated post-launch):
- Solar Orbiter, Launch to end of mission, in HEE frame (fixing Sun and Earth): SOL_Feb2020_HEE_SolarOrbiter.3dv
- Solar Orbiter and Parker Solar Probe, from SolO launch (Feb 2020) to end of mission PSP (end Aug 2025), in HEE frame (fixing Sun and Earth): SOL_Feb2020_HEE_Solo-Probe.3dv
- Solar Orbiter, Launch to end of mission, in J2000 frame: SOL_Feb2020_J2000_SolarOrbiter.3dv
- Solar Orbiter and Parker Solar Probe, from SolO launch (Feb 2020) to end of mission PSP (end Aug 2025), in J2000 frame: SOL_Feb2020_J2000_Solo-Probe.3dv
Positions of Remote Sensing Windows
By default, until the Science Working Team has had a chance to refine their positions (typically ~6 months ahead of time), Remote Sensing Windows (RSWs) are placed such that
- they last for 10 days each, and
- are centred in time on the geometric events corresponding to:
- Southern-most heliolatitude (often referred to as "south")
- Perihelion
- Northern-most heliolatitude ("north")
Note that if their 10-day default duration means that RSWs can't be centred on these events, then they typically are contiguous and encapsulate these events. This is most commonly the case with the southern-most and perihelion windows.
Importantly, the SWT may decide to adjust the positions and duration of these windows according to the science priorities assigned to each one. Therefore the dates below should be considered provisional where they are more than 6 months in the future. Those RSW start and end dates in blue have already been decided on.
The dates of RSWs (often just indicative) or geometric events in Nominal Mission Phase are:
| LTP | RSW Nº | Geometric event | Event date | RSW start | RSW end |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 1 | South | 2022-03-09T16:00:54.035Z | 2022-03-02T00:00:00Z | 2022-03-12T00:00:00Z |
| 2 | Perihelion | 2022-03-26T11:52:38.689Z | 2022-03-17T00:00:00Z | 2022-03-27T00:00:00Z | |
| 3 | North | 2022-04-10T23:12:43.065Z | 2022-03-27T00:00:00Z | 2022-04-06T00:00:00Z | |
| 9 | 4 | South | 2022-10-01T23:38:00.422Z | 2022-10-08T00:00:00Z | 2022-10-18T00:00:00Z |
| 5 | Perihelion | 2022-10-12T18:32:46.961Z | 2022-10-18T00:00:00Z | 2022-10-28T00:00:00Z | |
| 6 | North | 2022-11-05T12:15:08.233Z | 2022-10-28T00:00:00Z | 2022-11-07T00:00:00Z | |
| 10/11 | 7 | South | 2023-03-30T18:00:35.959Z | 2023-03-22T00:00:00Z | 2022-04-02T00:00:00Z |
| 8 | Perihelion | 2023-04-10T12:37:09.335Z | 2023-04-04T00:00:00Z | 2023-04-18T00:00:00Z | |
| 9 | North | 2023-05-04T06:55:01.266Z | 2023-04-20T00:00:00Z | 2023-04-25T00:00:00Z | |
| 12/13 | 10 | South | 2023-09-26T12:10:50.330Z | 2023-10-01T00:00:00Z | 2023-10-11T00:00:00Z |
| 11 | Perihelion | 2023-10-07T06:46:59.919Z | 2023-10-12T00:00:00Z | 2023-10-22T00:00:00Z | |
| 12 | North | 2023-10-31T01:01:56.718Z | 2023-10-23T00:00:00Z | 2023-11-02T00:00:00Z | |
| 14/15 | 13 | South | 2024-03-24T06:31:12.607Z | 2024-03-13T00:00:00Z | 2024-03-25T00:00:00Z |
| 14 | Perihelion | 2024-04-04T01:12:59.559Z | 2024-03-27T00:00:00Z | 2024-04-10T00:00:00Z | |
| 15 | North | 2024-04-27T19:26:00.361Z | 2024-04-12T00:00:00Z | 2024-04-16T00:00:00Z | |
| 16/17 | 16 | South | 2024-09-20T00:35:41.343Z | 2024-09-25T00:00:00Z | 2024-10-01T00:00:00Z |
| 17 | Perihelion | 2024-09-30T19:26:55.848Z | 2024-10-02T00:00:00Z | 2024-10-16T00:00:00Z | |
| 18 | North | 2024-10-24T13:10:40.261Z | 2024-10-17T00:00:00Z | 2024-10-27T00:00:00Z |