The Van Allen Probes deploy their solar arrays.

Credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (NASA/JHUAPL)

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The Van Allen Probes will orbit Earth on similar orbits, ranging from approximately 373 miles (600 km) to 23,000 miles (37,000 km) altitude.

Credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins UniversityApplied Physics Laboratory (NASA/JHUAPL)

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A Van Allen Probe deploys the spin plane booms that carry instruments for the Electric Field Wave experiment.

Credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (NASA/JHUAPL)

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A Van Allen Probe deploys the stacer booms that hold instruments for the Electric Field Wave experiment.

Credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (NASA/JHUAPL)

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Preparing for Flight: Closing the Launch Vehicle's Fairing

A spacecraft separation system allows one STEREO observatory to sit atop the other within the third stage of the Delta II launch vehicle.

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Placing STEREO into Orbit

STEREO mission designers determined that the most efficient and cost-effective way to get the twin observatories into space was to launch them aboard a single rocket and use lunar swingbys to place them into their respective orbits. This is the first time lunar swingbys have been used to manipulate orbits of more than one spacecraft. Mission designers will use the moon's gravity to redirect the observatories to their appropriate orbits - something the launch vehicle alone can't do.

After launch, the observatories will fly in an orbit from a point close to Earth to one that extends just beyond the moon. Approximately two months later, mission operations personnel at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL), in Laurel, Md., will synchronize spacecraft orbits, directing one observatory to its position trailing Earth in its orbit. Approximately one month later, the second observatory will be redirected to its position ahead of Earth.

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Observatories Separate after Launch

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Solar Panels Deploy

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Gravitational Pull

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Flying Close to Earth

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Lunar Swingby

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Twin STEREO Observatories in their Orbits

The twin observatories will fly as mirror images of each other to obtain unique "stereo" views of the sun's activities. They must be placed into a rather challenging orbit where they're offset from one another. One observatory will be placed ahead of Earth in its orbit around the sun and the other behind. Just as the slight offset between your eyes provides you with depth perception, this placement will allow the STEREO ob­servatories to obtain 3-D images and particle measurements of the sun.

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"Ahead" and "Behind" Observatories

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"Behind" Observatory

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"Ahead" Observatory

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Seeing with STEREO

Each twin STEREO observatory will carry two instruments and two instrument suites. This combination provides a total of 16 instruments per observatory. APL is designing and building the spacecraft platform housing the instruments. When combined with data from observatories on the ground or in low-Earth orbit, STEREO's data will allow scientists to track the buildup and liftoff of magnetic energy from the sun and the trajectory of Earth-bound coronal mass ejections in 3-D.

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High-gain Antenna Deployed

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IMPACT's Boom Deployed

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Pointing at the Sun

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SECCHI Instrument Suite

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S/WAVES Instrument

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