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Solar Orbiter

Centaur Burn Underway; Payload Fairing Jettisoned

A portion of the Sun fills most of the left side of the image. On the right against the backdrop of space, Solar Orbiter, with two long panels protruding from each side of a silver box, and antenna attached to the top, back, bottom left, and bottom right, is slightly turned toward the star.

The first of two burns for the Centaur upper stage is underway following burnout and separation of the Atlas booster. This is an approximately eight-minute burn. The payload fairing, having protected the spacecraft in the early minutes of flight, has separated and fallen away as planned.