NASA’s Parker Solar Probe Completes 20th Close Approach to the Sun.

 

Parker Solar Probe’s 20th orbit included a perihelion that brought the spacecraft within 4.51 million miles of the Sun, showcasing the mission’s continued success in gathering unprecedented data from the solar environment.

NASA’s Parker Solar Probe achieved its 20th close approach to the Sun on June 30, 2024, coming within about 4.51 million miles (7.26 million kilometers) of the solar surface, matching its own distance record.

The perihelion occurred at 3:47 UTC (11:47 p.m. EDT on June 29), with the probe traveling at a speed of 394,736 miles per hour (635,266 kilometers per hour), also matching its previous speed record. On July 2, the spacecraft communicated with mission operators at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland, confirming it was in good health and all systems were functioning normally. This achievement marks the midpoint of the mission’s 20th solar encounter, which started on June 25 and will continue until July 5.

The Parker Solar Probe is scheduled to make another close approach at the same distance and speed on September 30, 2024. Following this, it will begin its final series of approaches, with the first of three closest approaches planned for December 24, 2024. After a final Venus gravity assist-flyby on November 6, the spacecraft will approach within just 3.8 million miles of the Sun’s surface, traveling at approximately 430,000 miles per hour.