LAUNCH OF SOLAR ORBITER, Feb 9, 2020, CCAFS, 11:03 pm ET

ESA’s Solar Orbiter spacecraft will launch on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket on February 9, 2020 at 11:03 pm ET from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, FL.  NASA TV coverage begins at 10:30 pm ET.

Solar Orbiter carries 10 instruments, one of which was provided by NASA, along with a sensor.

According to a NASA press release:

Solar Orbiter will observe the Sun with high spatial resolution telescopes and capture observations in the environment directly surrounding the spacecraft to create a one-of-a-kind picture of how the Sun can affect the space environment throughout our solar system. The spacecraft also will provide the first-ever images of the Sun’s poles and the never-before-observed magnetic environment there, which helps drive the Sun’s 11-year solar cycle and its periodic outpouring of solar storms.