Parker Solar Probe’s 18th close approach to the Sun set distance and speed records, marking a key milestone in its ongoing mission.
The spacecraft entered the encounter in good health, with all systems operating normally. Parker Solar Probe checked back in with mission operators at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland – where the spacecraft was also designed and built – by sending a status beacon tone on January 5.
Parker Solar Probe
NASA’s Parker Solar Probe, a groundbreaking mission in solar science, was launched on August 12, 2018, with the primary objective of studying the Sun more closely and in greater detail than any spacecraft before it. Named after solar physicist Eugene Parker, who proposed the existence of the solar wind, this mission marks a significant milestone in humanity’s quest to understand our closest star.
The Parker Solar Probe is designed to withstand extreme heat and radiation near the Sun. It employs a revolutionary heat shield that enables the spacecraft to endure temperatures exceeding 2,500 degrees