César García, our Solar Orbiter project manager, talks to ESA Web TV about this exciting science mission, scheduled for launch in early 2020 to study our parent star, the Sun. He describes how Solar Orbiter will examine the Sun and the heliosphere – the vast bubble of charged particles blown by the solar wind into the interstellar medium – with a combination of in-situ and remote sensing observations. He also explains the recent vibration tests the spacecraft was subjected to at the IABG National Space Centre in Germany, as well as the next phases in the testing campaign to make sure Solar Orbiter is ready to launch.Solar Orbiter is an ESA-led mission with strong NASA participation.

The spacecraft was built and is being tested by Airbus.

More information: Good vibes for Solar Orbiter