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Parker Solar Probe

The first spacecraft to fly through the Sun's outer atmosphere, or corona.

Agency

NASA

Destination

The Sun's corona

Launched

August 12, 2018

About the mission

Parker Solar Probe is on a multi-year mission of increasingly close passes to the Sun, gathering data that helps scientists understand the origin of the solar wind and how the corona is heated.

Primary sources

Last verified 2026-01-15. Mission status and dates can change.