The Parker Solar Probe, operated by NASA, is preparing to approach the Sun closer than any previous spacecraft, marking a historic moment in space exploration. NASA states that "the probe, launched on August 12, 2018, is scheduled to fly near the Sun at a speed of 195 kilometers per second (or 435,000 miles per hour) on December 24, 2024, reaching a distance of just over 6 million kilometers from the Sun, the closest distance achieved by any spacecraft to date." It will traverse the Sun's outer atmosphere, known as the corona, where temperatures exceed one million degrees Celsius.
NASA describes the mission on its website as a "touch the Sun" initiative aimed at obtaining "the first sample ever from the atmosphere of the star." NASA clarifies that "the mission aims to help us gain a deeper understanding of the Sun, as the probe orbits closer to the Sun's surface than ever before and inside the orbit of Mercury."
