Solar Orbiter - Exploring the Sun-Heliosphere Connection

Solar Orbiter, the first mission of ESA's Cosmic Vision programme, promises to deliver groundbreaking science with previously unavailable observational capabilities provided by a suite of in-situ and remote-sensing instruments in a unique orbit. The mission will address the central question of heliophysics: How does the Sun create and control the heliosphere? The heliosphere represents a uniquely accessible domain of space, where fundamental physical processes common to solar, astrophysical and laboratory plasmas can be studied under conditions impossible to reproduce on Earth and unfeasible to observe from astronomical distances. This talk will highlight the scientific goals of Solar Orbiter, address the synergy between this joint ESA/NASA mission and other new space- and ground-based observatories, and present the mission's development status.