NASAParker Solar Probe - 2018-065A
Parker Solar Probe
Closest spacecraft to the Sun - touching the solar corona
PHASE 01
Launch
Aug 12, 2018 ✓
PHASE 02
First perihelion
Nov 6, 2018 ✓
PHASE 03
Touched the Sun
Apr 28, 2021 ✓
PHASE 04
Closest approach
Dec 24, 2024 ✓
PHASE 05 - ACTIVE
Extended operations
2025-present
- Telemetry
Parker Solar Probe at a glance.
Closest approach
3.8Mmi
Peak velocity
430,000mph
Perihelia completed
22
Status
Active
- Status
Humanity's closest touch to a star.
Parker Solar Probe has completed 22 close passes of the Sun, reaching within 3.8 million miles of the solar surface - closer than any spacecraft in history. On December 24, 2024, it achieved its closest-ever perihelion at a record-breaking speed of approximately 430,000 mph, the fastest human-made object ever.
The probe has directly sampled the solar corona, confirming for the first time that a spacecraft can fly through the Sun's outer atmosphere.