Parker Solar Probe Matches 430,000 mph Record at 3.8 Million Miles From Sun
Updated
Updated · Jalopnik · Aug 3
Parker Solar Probe Matches 430,000 mph Record at 3.8 Million Miles From Sun
3 articles · Updated · Jalopnik · Aug 3
Summary
NASA's Parker Solar Probe again hit 430,000 mph on June 8, matching its own record while collecting scientific measurements during a close solar pass.
The speed comes from repeated gravity-assisted dives toward the Sun, which also bring Parker to about 3.8 million miles from the solar surface—inside the corona and closer than Mercury.
At that distance, the probe endures roughly 1,700 degrees Fahrenheit as it studies the Sun's atmosphere, solar wind and the 11-year activity cycle that last peaked in 2024.
The mission's next steps are unclear because Parker is under NASA review as the agency faces staffing losses, employee buyouts and threatened budget cuts.
NASA also notes New Horizons reached 36,400 mph under its own propulsion at launch in 2006, a separate benchmark from Parker's gravity-boosted top speed.