Solar Orbiter, a mission led by the European Space Agency (ESA) in collaboration with NASA, was launched on 10 February 2020, with the goal of studying the Sun up close and unlocking the mysteries of its atmosphere, magnetic field, and solar wind. Built by Airbus Defense and Space, the spacecraft is operated from ESA’s European Space Operations Centre (ESOC), with support from industry partners including SSC.
One of its most recent maneuvers was the Venus flyby – a crucial step in its journey. Reaching the Sun requires an immense amount of energy, and one way to adjust the spacecraft’s trajectory and speed is through a gravity assist. This involves entering the gravitational field of a planet, using its pull to slingshot toward the next stage of the mission – similar to how a skateboarder gains momentum by pumping through a half-pipe.
Three of the key people working behind the scenes to ensure Solar Orbiter’s success are SSC engineers Isabel Ruiz Molina, Serenella Di Betta, and Sebastian Thomas Andersen. With extensive experience in the space industry and a lifelong passion for space exploration, they play a vital role in managing the spacecraft’s payloads and collecting critical data to ensure mission safety.
“We’ve spent the last few months meticulously planning every detail. All necessary inputs are in place for a safe execution, and we’ve run extensive simulations to test contingency scenarios,” Isabel explains.
With few uplink and downlink opportunities, their job is to verify that everything is functioning correctly and report back to the team.
Solar Orbiter is designed to keep one side permanently facing the Sun, with its heat shield locked in position to protect the spacecraft. It can’t drift more than a degree off course – straying beyond three degrees would put the entire mission at risk.
“The heat shield’s main job is to keep the spacecraft cool. If overheated, both the structure and the scientific instruments could be in danger,” Sebastian explains.
As the spacecraft approached Venus, passing just 378 km above its surface, the team conducted detailed thermal analyses to ensure it could withstand the intense conditions. They worked closely with the hardware manufacturer to assess any potential risks.
During the flyby, there were no live adjustments or real-time monitoring. Because of the spacecraft’s altitude and orientation, it couldn’t point its antenna toward Earth, leaving the team in a nerve-wracking wait for confirmation that everything had gone as planned.
With such high stakes, they had to be ready for anything – most of the team was on-call throughout the critical period.
“It’s all about preparation”, Isabel says.
Another challenge was the spacecraft’s strict Sun-facing requirement, which limited their flexibility.
“The brightness of Venus temporarily blinded the star tracker, which could have triggered a reconfiguration. But luckily, everything remained stable,” Serenella recalls.
This Venus flyby was the fourth of a total of seven, with the next Venus flyby being in December 2026.
Meet the team:
Isabel Ruiz Molina studied aerospace engineering in Madrid and later worked in Germany at LSE and ESA’s ESOC. She has been fascinated by space and satellite telecommunications since as long as she can remember.
Sebastian Thomas Andersen has a background in physics and astrophysics. He worked on CubeSats before joining ESA as a graduate trainee. He wanted to apply his theoretical knowledge in a more practical field, leading him to work on space missions.
Serenella Di Betta studied aerospace engineering at Politecnico di Milano. She was drawn to the engineering side of space missions, focusing on spacecraft construction and operations rather than pure science. She joined ESA’s interplanetary division three years ago. Her master’s thesis at DLR focused on propulsion and propellant research.
Top image: Solar Orbiter illustration, Credit: ESA
