Parker Solar Probe is in the 10th of 24 planned, progressively closer orbits around the Sun. the spacecraft, built and operated at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland, launched on Aug. 12, 2018.

Latest News | November 22, 2021

Parker Solar Probe Completes a Record-Setting Swing by the Sun
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Spacecraft Status

Current Mission: Orbit 10

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psp202112_0084.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 (RS) 0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 Days from Launch Mercury Venus Earth Solar Probe Parker Heliocentric Velocity (km/s): 41.68 Distance from Sun Center (AU): 0.456 Distance from Sun's Surface (RS): 96.9 Distance from Earth (AU): 1.346 Round-Trip Light Time (hh:mm:ss): 00:22:23 4 Dec 2021 11:00:00 UTC

Countdown to next milestone

Aphelion: January 8, 2022, 12:01 UTC

Next countdown: Jan 8, 2022 12:01:40

Current Records Set By Parker Solar Probe

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What is Parker Solar Probe?

A scientific mission to unlock the mysteries of the Sun's corona and solar wind

A spacecraft that uses breakthrough technology and autonomy to endure heat and radiation like no other mission

A unique solar observatory that will orbit within 4 million miles of our star's surface to directly study the formation of the solar wind

The first mission named for a living scientist: Dr. Eugene Parker, who theorized the existence of the solar wind

Latest PSP News | All News

November 10, 2021

Space Dust Presents Opportunities, Challenges as Parker Solar Probe Speeds Back to the Sun

October 18, 2021

Parker Solar Probe Completes Its Fifth Venus Flyby

September 30, 2021

Short Maneuver Targets Parker Solar Probe for Venus Flyby
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