NASA's Parker Solar Probe breaks record by completing the closest and fastest flyby of the sun in history

On September 27, 2023, NASA's Parker Solar Probe completed its 17th close-range detection of the sun, passing only 4.51 million miles (7.26 million kilometers) from the sun's surface, breaking its own distance record. The Parker Solar Probe flew past Venus with gravity assistance on August 21, Eastern Time. The close approach (called perihelion) occurred at 7:28 pm Eastern Time. The Parker Solar Probe orbited the sun at a speed of 394,736 miles (635,266 kilometers) per hour, setting a new record again.

On September 27, 2023, NASA's Parker Solar Probe approached the sun for the 17th time, breaking its own record within 4.51 million miles of the sun's surface. Assisted by Venus' gravity, the probe flew past Venus at a speed of 394,736 miles per hour, setting a new record again. Image source: NASAGSFC/CIL/BrianMonroe

The milestone also marks the midpoint of Parker Solar Probe's 17th "solar encounter" mission, which began on September 22 and ended on October 3.

Parker Solar Probe's 17th orbit included a perihelion, bringing the spacecraft 4.51 million miles from the sun. Image source: NASA/JohnsHopkinsAPL/SteveGribben

The spacecraft entered the rendezvous point in good health and all systems were operating normally. Parker Solar Probe is scheduled to send a stream of telemetry data (status data) on October 1 to mission operators at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland, where the spacecraft was designed and built.

From October 4 to 19, the spacecraft will send scientific data from this encounter to Earth - primarily related to the properties, structure and behavior of the solar wind as it leaves the Sun.

Conceptual illustration of NASA's Parker Solar Probe spacecraft flying through the solar corona, tracking how energy and heat move through the star's atmosphere. Image credit: NASA/JohnsHopkinsNASA/JohnsHopkinsAPL

NASA's Parker Solar Probe, launched in 2018, is on an unparalleled journey to study the Sun's outer atmosphere. Designed to withstand extreme heat and radiation, the probe will come 3.83 million miles closer to the sun's surface than any previous spacecraft.

In 24 orbits over 7 years, with the gravitational assistance of Venus, the detector will study the corona, solar wind and solar high-energy particles. The results are intended to deepen our understanding of solar phenomena and their impact on Earth.