Illustration of the Solar Orbiter (SolO) spacecraft making a gravity assist flyby of Earth. SolO launched on the 10th February 2020 and began its mission in November 2021. It is a European Space Agency (ESA) spacecraft that will study the heliosphere, the bubble created in space by the solar wind. It is the first satellite to provide close-up views of the Sun's polar regions. At its closest approach in its orbit, it will be around 42 million kilometres from the Sun. It will also attain high speeds, nearly matching the Sun's axial rotation. Its instruments include the Solar Wind Analyser, the Polarimetric and Helioseismic Imager, and the Radio and Plasma Wave analyser.