On March 22, the Parker Solar Probe (PSP) repeated its record by traveling only 6.1 million kilometers from the solar surface. This is eight times smaller than the minimum possible distance between the Sun and Mercury.
PSP was launched in 2018 to study the Sun and its corona — the upper, thinnest and hottest layer of the atmosphere, made up of plasma heated to temperatures of a million degrees Celsius. To get close to it, engineers designed the probe’s trajectory so that it would periodically approach Venus and use its gravity to reduce the perihelion of its orbit.
PSP performed a total of seven gravity maneuvers near Venus during its mission. The last of them took place in November 2024 and allowed the probe to enter its final orbit. PSP passed its perihelion on December 24, flying at a record distance of 6.1 million km from the solar surface. At this point, it was moving at 692,000 km/h (192.2 km/s), and its heat shield heated up to a temperature of 1,370 °C.
On March 22, PSP approached the Sun again and repeated its record. After the flyby, the spacecraft sent a beacon signal to Earth indicating that it was in good condition and all systems were operating normally.
The flyby at such close range allowed PSP to collect unique data on the solar wind and related activity. Their transmission to Earth will begin after the vehicle has moved away from the Sun to a safe distance.
The current flight plan calls for PSP to make one more final spin around the Sun, after which its primary science mission will be completed. However, it cannot be ruled out that since the vehicle is in good technical condition, NASA will decide to extend its service life.
According to NASA
