A few days after a record-breaking approach to the Sun, the Parker Solar Probe (PSP) has transmitted a beacon tone back to Earth. It indicates its good condition and normal operation.
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 a million degrees centigrade temperatures. To get close to it, engineers designed the probe’s trajectory to periodically approach Venus and use its gravity to reduce the perihelion of its orbit.
In total, PSP has performed seven gravity manoeuvres near Venus during its mission. The last of them took place in November and allowed the probe to enter its final orbit. PSP passed its perihelion on 24 December, flying at a record distance of 6.1 million kilometres from the solar surface. At that point, it was travelling at 692,000 km/h (192.2 km/s) and its heat shield had heated up to a temperature of 1,370 °C.
During the perihelion passage, PSP did not transmit any data to Earth, so engineers did not know its status. The first news came on the night of 26-27 December. It was a beacon signal, confirming that the vehicle was functioning and in good technical condition.
The next communication session will take place on 1 January. The spacecraft is expected to send detailed telemetry data on its status. After the PSP has travelled away from the Sun, it will start transmitting scientific data collected by its instruments.
The current flight plan suggests that the PSP should perform two more turns around the Sun, after which its 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.
Provided by NASA
