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.
Parker solar probe pictures of the sun.
Nasa s parker solar probe will be the first ever mission to touch the sun.
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 4 million miles of the sun s surface facing heat and radiation like no spacecraft before it.
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.
Nasa s parker solar probe launched a year ago on a mission to touch the sun.
The parker solar probe abbreviated psp.
The spacecraft will get seven times closer to the sun than any probe ever has.
The probe recently came within 15 million miles of the sun and it s now just two weeks.
Since that fiery early morning liftoff with the mission s namesake eugene parker in attendance the probe has made.