The Sun probe successfully passes close to Venus

The European Space Agency announced today, Tuesday, August 10, that the space probe “Solar Orbiter”, nicknamed the Sun probe, has successfully passed close to the planet Venus.

The European Agency said in an official statement that the probe successfully passed near the planet Venus during a maneuver that it conducted as part of its flight plan, as the probe approached the planet at a distance of approximately 8,000 kilometers.
It is noteworthy that this probe was developed by the European Space Agency and the US Space Agency “NASA”, and was primarily designed to study the sun.

The probe was equipped with a shield capable of withstanding temperatures up to 600 degrees Celsius, and the probe carried out a successful orbital maneuver also around Venus, also on December 27 last.

The statement added: “The thermal imaging devices on board this probe will help us monitor the dark side of Venus, as well as the cameras on the BepiColombo spacecraft, a joint mission between the European Space Agency and the Japanese Space Research Organization, which will pass near this planet soon. These images and data from the probe and the spacecraft will provide us with a unique opportunity to examine the environment of Venus from many different points.”

According to the European Space Agency, the space probe, “Solar Orbiter”, is supposed to pass near Venus again between 1 and 2 October, when it is supposed to approach it for a distance of about 200 km.

It is noteworthy that the probe was launched on February 10, 2020, from Launch Complex 41, from Cape Canaveral Space Station in Florida, on a ten-year journey to the sun.