Parker Solar Probe touches Sun yet again; cruises past the corona at over 5L kmph

The Parker Solar Probe touched the sun yet again as it cruised through the corona on February 25. Moving at a speed of 5,79,363 kilometres per hour, the spacecraft faced temperatures up to 760 degrees Celsius as it was just over 85 lakh kilometres from the solar surface. According to NASA, this was Parker's 11th flyby near the sun as it continues to move through space in its highly elliptical orbit.

"Today, Parker Solar Probe completed its 11th close approach to the Sun, coming within 5.3 million miles from the Sun. At this distance, the spacecraft experienced temperatures exceeding 1400°F", NASA wrote in a Twitter update.

"The close approach, also known as perihelion, occurred at 10:36 am ET with the spacecraft moving over 360,000 miles per hour matching the previous record as the fastest and closest object to the Sun", it added. 

More about the high-endurance probe

Launched on 12 August 2018, the spacecraft is designed to endure temperatures up to 1,377 degrees Celsius as its job is to study the sun up close. NASA says that the probe would provide new data on solar activity and improve the forecast abilities of scientists regarding major space-weather events.

"The primary science goals for the mission are to trace the flow of energy and understand the heating of the solar corona and to explore what accelerates the solar wind. Parker Solar Probe provides a statistical survey of the outer corona", NASA said. 

It is worth mentioning that the Parker probe has been named after astrophysicist Eugene Parker and will make a total of 24 flybys near the sun. During its many flybys, the spacecraft would also make seven close flybys near Venus for gravity assists. 

What's next for Parker?

According to NASA, the probe's next solar flyby will take place on June 1, followed by September 6 and December 11 this year. Interestingly, the agency has planned flybys till 2025 with as many as five in the next two years followed by two close passes in the final year. The mission has a planned duration of six years and 11 months and NASA says that it is likely to generate more questions than answers.

(Image: @NASASun/Twitter)