Parker Solar Probe shatters solar speed record during corona flyby
NASA’s Parker Solar Probe reached about 692,000 km/h (192.22 km/s) relative to the Sun while skimming the Sun’s corona during its 28th close approach in June 2026, a record for a human-made object. The peak speed comes from a highly elliptical near-Sun orbit aided by Venus flybys; Parker’s shield protects its instruments as it studies coronal heating and solar wind, with mission extensions still under review and no sustained cruise speed implied by this record.