Photo used for illustrative purposes. Reuters

A spacecraft designed and built in the UK is getting ready for the first of many flybys of Venus as it heads for the Sun in a mission to unlock its secrets.

The Solar Orbiter will use the gravitational force of the planet to bring it closer to the Sun while, at the same time, tilting its orbit to observe the star from a different perspective.

The closest approach will take place at 12.39pm UK time on 27 December, when the spacecraft will be around 4,700 miles from the cloud tops of Venus, according to the Independent.

READ MORE

Deadly fire kills 7 people in Egyptian hospital treating COVID patients

Syrian refugee camp in Lebanon set on fire after row UNHCR

However, according to the European Space Agency (ESA), the Solar Orbiter will not be able to take any images of Venus as "it must remain facing the Sun".

But it will use some of the onboard instruments to record the magnetic, plasma and particle environment around Venus as it approaches the planet.

It blasted off into space in February this year from Nasa's Cape Canaveral site in Florida.

According to the ESA, the Solar Orbiter's path around the Sun has been chosen to be "in resonance" with Venus.

This means the spacecraft will keep coming close to the planet every few orbits and use Venus's gravity to alter or tilt its orbit.

The next close approach of Venus is expected to take place in August 2021, and each encounter will increase its orbital inclination.

By 2025, the Solar Orbiter will have enough inclination to take the first ever images of the Sun's Polar Regions.