NASA Parker Solar Probe Makes Historic Sun Flyby

NASA’s Parker Solar Probe has safely completed the closest-ever approach to the Sun by any human-made object, the space agency confirmed. On December 24th, the spacecraft flew within just 6.1 million kilometers of the solar surface, entering the Sun’s outer atmosphere, known as the corona.

The probe’s operations team at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Maryland received a signal from the spacecraft shortly before midnight on Thursday, confirming its safe passage. The spacecraft is expected to transmit detailed telemetry data regarding its status on January 1st.

Traveling at speeds of up to 692,000 kilometers per hour, the Parker Solar Probe withstood extreme temperatures reaching 982°C during its historic close flyby.

NASA highlighted that this close-up study of the Sun allows the probe to take crucial measurements, helping scientists understand how material in the Sun’s corona is heated to millions of degrees, trace the origins of solar wind, and discover how energetic particles are accelerated to near light speed.

Launched in 2018, the Parker Solar Probe has been gradually moving closer to the Sun through a series of Venus flybys, using gravitational assists to tighten its orbit. This mission is vital for expanding our knowledge of Earth’s closest star.