Solar Orbiter Set to Unveil Secrets: A Close Encounter with Venus Awaits!

The European Space Agency (ESA) is gearing up for an exciting event today. The ESA/NASA Solar Orbiter spacecraft is about to make its closest pass by Venus yet! This flyby will tilt the spacecraft’s orbit, giving it a chance to view the Sun’s polar regions, which we can’t see from Earth.

Since its launch in 2020, Solar Orbiter has been getting closer to the Sun by using gravity assists from Earth and Venus. Today, on February 18, 2025, it will zoom past Venus at just 379 kilometers away. For context, astronauts on the International Space Station travel at about 408 kilometers above Earth. This is a significant milestone for Solar Orbiter.

“Getting close to Venus helps us change Solar Orbiter’s orbit using its gravity,” explains ESA’s Julia Schwartz. “Today’s flyby will tilt the orbit, allowing us to better observe the Sun’s poles, which are otherwise hidden from our view.”

Future flybys will further adjust the spacecraft’s path, enabling it to take high-resolution images of the Sun’s polar regions. This will enhance our understanding of solar activity and enable us to protect our technology from strong solar storms.

This close encounter isn’t without its challenges. The team at ESA’s flight operations center in Germany has meticulously planned the flyby. They need to make precise calculations and minor adjustments to keep Solar Orbiter on its path without straying into Venus’s atmosphere, which could adversely affect the spacecraft.

“We expect Solar Orbiter to heat up during the flyby,” says Sam Bammens from the Solar Orbiter control team. To prepare, the team has simulated the heating effects caused by the gravitational pull of Venus. Although some parts of the spacecraft will get warm, everything is designed to stay within safe limits.

As the spacecraft passes Venus, it will keep its instruments pointed toward the Sun, making it impossible to capture images of Venus’s cloud tops. However, it will still gather valuable scientific data. Venus has a unique atmosphere that interacts with the solar wind in interesting ways. Solar Orbiter’s sensors will record important information about Venus’s magnetic and plasma environment, adding to our knowledge of how the solar wind affects other planets.

ESA has more missions planned for Venus this year. The Juice spacecraft, which is on its way to explore Jupiter’s moons, will also fly by Venus in August. These visits highlight Venus’s significance as a stopover for ESA’s missions. While Solar Orbiter and Juice are brief visitors, ESA’s Venus Express studied the planet in-depth from 2006 to 2014, analyzing its atmosphere and surface temperature.

Looking ahead, ESA’s Envision mission is set to launch in the early 2030s. Envision will provide a comprehensive view of Venus, helping scientists understand the differences in development between Earth and its neighboring planet.

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