NASA/ESA spacecraft launches to give first glimpse of Sun's poles

NASA, in collaboration with the European Space Agency (ESA), on Monday launched a new spacecraft that will provide humanity with the first-ever images of the Sun's poles, the US space agency said.

Solar Orbiter launched aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, NASA said in a statement.

Early Monday, mission controllers at the European Space Operations Centre in Germany, received a signal from the spacecraft indicating that its solar panels had successfully deployed, it said.

In the first two days after launch, Solar Orbiter will deploy its instrument boom and several antennas that will communicate with the Earth and gather scientific data, according to NASA.

Solar Orbiter is on a unique trajectory that will allow its comprehensive set of instruments to provide humanity with the first-ever images of the Sun's poles, the US space agency said.

This trajectory includes 22 close approaches to the Sun, bringing the