Parker Solar Probe Orbit Trajectory

On the final three orbits solar probe plus will fly to within 3 7 million miles of the sun s surface.

Parker solar probe orbit trajectory.

The closest points of each orbit come well within the path of mercury the closest planet to the sun. The spacecraft about the size of a small car will travel directly into the sun s atmosphere about 4 million miles from our star s surface. It will approach to within 9 86 solar radii 6 9 million km or 4 3 million miles from the center of the sun and by 2025 will travel at closest approach as fast as 690 000 km h. Psp202009 0511 svg parker solar probe mission trajectory and current position parker solar probe distance from sun future orbit past orbit 250 200 150 100 50 0 distance from sun s surface r s 0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 days from launch mercury venus earth solar probe parker heliocentric velocity km s.

The parker solar probe abbreviated psp. Previously solar probe solar probe plus or solar probe is a nasa robotic spacecraft launched in 2018 with the mission of making observations of the outer corona of the sun. Parker solar probe will swoop to within four million miles of the sun s surface facing heat and radiation like no spacecraft before it. Launching in 2018 parker solar probe will provide new data on solar activity and make critical contributions to our ability to forecast major space weather events that impact life on earth.

Nasa s parker solar probe will be the first ever mission to touch the sun.