NASA's Parker probe set records for speed and approach to the Sun – Science and IT

It is currently unknown whether the solar probe survived.

On December 24, 2024, at 13:53 Kyiv time, NASA's Parker solar probe approached the Sun at a record close distance and reached the highest speed in its history.

This was reported by the publication Space.

The device flew to a distance of only 6.1 million km from our star, penetrating the hot corona of the Sun. The speed of the probe during the flight reached 692,000 km/h, which is 300 times higher than the speed of jet fighters.

In September 2023, NASA's Parker Solar Probe became the fastest man-made object, reaching a speed of 635,266 km/h. In a few days, scientists expect confirmation that the probe survived extreme conditions and may have reached even higher speeds during its approach to the Sun on December 24.

This is already the probe's 22nd approach to the Sun since 2018, and although scientists cannot yet confirm whether the probe survived this record…