Details of the Flyby
According to mission updates from NASA and the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (JHUAPL), the Parker Solar Probe will journey at a staggering velocity of 692,000 kilometers per hour throughout its journey by way of the Sun’s outer environment, or corona. This high-speed encounter goals to make clear the corona’s excessive temperatures and its position in photo voltaic wind era. The probe’s warmth protect, constructed to endure temperatures as much as 1,377 levels Celsius, will make sure the spacecraft stays operational because it navigates the extraordinary atmosphere.
Updates and Tracking
While the occasion itself won’t be broadcast reside, updates shall be offered by way of NASA’s official channels and the Parker Solar Probe mission weblog. A standing verify from the spacecraft is predicted on December 27, adopted by the primary telemetry knowledge on January 1, 2025. The preliminary scientific findings, together with knowledge on photo voltaic exercise, are anticipated by late January.
What Comes Next
This flyby is a part of the probe’s seven-year mission, concluding in 2025 after a complete of 24 photo voltaic encounters. Subsequent flybys in March and June 2025 will proceed to assemble invaluable knowledge, with selections concerning the probe’s orbit to be made thereafter, as per the mission workforce’s updates.