Parker Solar Probe: Breaking Speed Records and Venturing Closest to the Sun
NASA's Parker Solar Probe has set a new record for the fastest spacecraft, reaching a speed of 635,266 kilometers per hour (394,736 miles per hour) after completing a close pass by Venus. The probe, launched in 2018, aims to study the Sun up close during solar cycle 25 and provide valuable information for solar astronomy, solar weather prediction, and strategies for protecting against solar storms. It will continue to approach the Sun on each pass, with its last three orbits scheduled to bring it within 6.16 million kilometers (3.83 million miles) of the Sun's surface and reach a maximum speed of 692,000 kilometers per hour (430,000 miles per hour).