Solar and Heliospheric Observatory
From Spacefaring
Q320638
Q320638
The Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) is a European Space Agency (ESA) spacecraft built by a European industrial consortium led by Matra Marconi Space that was launched on a Lockheed Martin Atlas IIAS launch vehicle on 2 December 1995, to study the Sun. It has also discovered more than 5,000 comets. It began normal operations in May 1996. It is a joint project between the European Space Agency (ESA) and NASA. SOHO was part of the International Solar Terrestrial Physics Program (ISTP). Originally planned as a two-year mission, SOHO continues to operate after 29 years in space; the mission has been extended until the end of 2025, subject to review and confirmation by ESA's Science Programme Committee.
1995-12-02T00:00:00Z
1995-12-02T00:00:00Z
1995 Solar and Heliospheric Observatory
1996-04-16T00:00:00Z
1996-04-16T00:00:00Z
service entry
1995-12-02T00:00:00Z
1995-12-02T00:00:00Z
rocket launch
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2023-05-28 MUC-KulturTour Planetarium 10
This annotated movie from the European Space Agency & NASA’s SOHO observatory shows the 4,997th comet discovered by the spacecraft as it speeds toward the Sun on March 21, 2024.Credit: ESA/NASA/SOHO/Karl Battams






