The space probe passed a record distance of 3.8 million miles from the star this week. NASA received a message from Parker on Thursday night confirming that he survived the trip.
Launched in 2018 to get a close-up view of the Sun, Parker has flown directly through its outer atmosphere, or corona. With its close approach completed, the spacecraft is expected to orbit the Sun at this distance at least until September.
It is the fastest spacecraft ever built and reached 430,000 miles per hour on closest approach. It is equipped with a heat shield that can withstand temperatures up to 2,500° Fahrenheit.
Scientists hope Parker’s data will help them better understand why the Sun’s outer atmosphere is hundreds of times hotter than its surface. and what drives the solar wind, the supersonic stream of charged particles that constantly moves away from the Sun.