NASA’s Parker Solar Probe Sets New Benchmarks: Most Proximate and Swift Solar Encounter To Date

On the date of September 27, 2023, NASA’s Parker Solar Probe executed its 17th proximate pass to the Sun, surpassing its previous record by drawing as near as 4.51 million miles to the Sun’s exterior. Facilitated by a gravitational slingshot maneuver involving Venus, the probe reached an unprecedented velocity of 394,736 miles per hour. Acknowledgment: NASA GSFC/CIL/Brian Monroe

The Parker Solar Probe of NASA established a new milestone by coming to within 4.51 million miles of the Sun on September 27, 2023, concurrently setting a record for speed during its journey.

Completing its 17th intimate engagement with the Sun on September 27, 2023, the Parker Solar Probe outperformed its own prior distance record, being only 4.51 million miles (approximately 7.26 million kilometers) away from the Sun’s surface.

This close pass, formally known as a perihelion, was facilitated by a gravity-assisted flyby of Venus on August 21. The perihelion occurred at precisely 7:28 p.m. EDT, with the probe traveling at a remarkable speed of 394,736 miles per hour (or 635,266 kilometers per hour) around the Sun, setting yet another record. This event also denoted the halfway mark of the probe’s 17th solar engagement, which initiated on September 22 and is projected to extend until October 3.

The Parker Solar Probe undertook its 17th orbit, which incorporated a perihelion that brought the spacecraft to within 4.51 million miles of the Sun. Acknowledgment: NASA/Johns Hopkins APL/Steve Gribben

Entering the encounter in a state of optimal functioning, all the spacecraft’s systems were reported to be operating normally. The Parker Solar Probe is slated to re-establish contact with the mission control team at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland—where the spacecraft was also conceived and assembled—by transmitting telemetry data on October 1.

The probe is scheduled to relay scientific data garnered from this encounter, predominantly pertaining to the characteristics, configuration, and dynamics of the solar wind emanating from the Sun, back to Earth between the dates of October 4 and October 19.

The conceptual design of NASA’s Parker Solar Probe represents the spacecraft navigating through the Sun’s outer atmosphere, also known as the corona. Credits: NASA/Johns Hopkins APL

Initiated in the year 2018, NASA’s Parker Solar Probe is embarked on an unparalleled exploratory mission of the Sun’s peripheral atmosphere. Engineered to withstand severe thermal and radiative conditions, the probe is intended to get as close as 3.83 million miles to the solar surface, a distance closer than any preceding spacecraft.

Over a span of seven years and through 24 orbits, assisted gravitationally by Venus, the probe is intended to scrutinize the Sun’s corona, solar wind, and solar energetic particles. The data collected will seek to augment our comprehension of solar activities and their consequential impact on Earth.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about NASA’s Parker Solar Probe Records

More about NASA’s Parker Solar Probe Records

• NASA’s Official Parker Solar Probe Mission Page
• Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory: Parker Solar Probe Overview
• Scientific Objectives of the Parker Solar Probe
• NASA’s Gravity Assist Mechanisms Explained
• Glossary of Astronomical Terms: Perihelion
• Overview of Solar Wind Studies
• Previous Records Set by Parker Solar Probe
• Solar Activities and Their Impact on Earth: A Review