The Solar Orbiter mission will face the Sun from within the orbit of Mercury at its closest approach.
Solar Orbiter is an international collaboration between ESA (European Space Agency) and NASA to study the Sun and what drives the dynamic outflow of solar wind that creates space weather at Earth. At closest approach, the spacecraft will face the Sun from within the orbit of Mercury. Its suite of instruments will provide close-up observations of the Sun, including the first images of the polar regions, as well as in situ measurements of the plasma environment around the spacecraft.
Image Credit: ESA/ATG medialab