TRACKER-1ALPHA
48.8566°N / 2.3522°E
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Official Parker Solar Probe patch
Space probes·NASA

Parker Solar Probe

ActiveLaunched in 2018·Perihelion 0.046 AU — 6.9M km

The first spacecraft to "touch the Sun": it passes within 7 million km of the corona at 690,000 km/h.

Main objectives
  • Enter the solar corona and measure the solar wind at its source.
  • Understand the acceleration of the wind and solar flares.
  • Fly closer to the Sun than any other spacecraft (perihelia < 7 M km).
Did you know?

A carbon shield withstands 1,400 °C while the back of the craft stays at room temperature.

Timeline

Aug 12, 2018
Launch

Delta IV Heavy from Cape Canaveral.

Apr 28, 2021
Entry into the corona

First spacecraft to cross the solar corona.

Dec 24, 2024
Record perihelion

Passage at 6.1 million km, speed 692,000 km/h.

Parker Solar Probe
Photo of Parker Solar Probe
Mission data
StatusActive
PositionPerihelion 0.046 AU — 6.9M km
Launched in2018
TargetSolar corona
Budget1.5B USD

Instruments

[04]
FIELDS

Electric and magnetic fields.

WISPR

Wide-angle imager of the corona.

SWEAP

Solar wind analysis.

ISʘIS

Energetic particles.

Specifications

Mass685 kg
Heat shield11.4 cm carbon, 1,400 °C
Max velocity692,000 km/h

Discoveries

[01]
  • MilestoneBreakthrough
    First spacecraft in the solar corona
    Parker crosses the Alfvén surface in April 2021, the magnetic boundary of the corona.
    Dec 14, 2021

Mission milestones

[02]

Official sources

NASA↗