Solar Orbiter phones home via commercial deep space antenna

ESA’s Solar Orbiter has made first contact with an ancient and mysterious world… Cornwall! During recent tests, the spacecraft successfully sent telemetry to and received commands from ESA mission controllers at ESOC in Germany via a deep space antenna operated by Goonhilly Earth Station Ltd in Cornwall, UK. The activity highlights the growing role of commercial ground stations in supporting deep space missions. While ESA’s global network of deep space antennas will continue to provide full-sky.