NASA’s groundbreaking Parker Solar Probe is gearing up for a spectacular and unprecedented journey as it approaches the sun closer than any spacecraft has ever dared. On Christmas Eve, December 24, at precisely 6:53 AM ET, the probe will fly within a staggering 3.8 million miles of the solar surface. This remarkable feat will not only mark the closest approach by the Parker Solar Probe but also set a record for the closest distance any human-made object has ever traveled to a star.

This momentous event is part of the probe's ambitious mission, which was launched back in 2018. The upcoming flyby will be the 22nd orbit of the Parker Solar Probe around our star, with three additional close encounters planned to follow. The spacecraft is designed to gather invaluable data that could reshape our understanding of solar activity and its influence on space weather, which can have profound effects on satellite communications and power grids here on Earth.

Nick Pinkine, mission operations manager at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, expressed his enthusiasm for the upcoming flyby: “No human-made object has ever passed this close to a star, so Parker will truly be returning data from uncharted territory. We’re thrilled to hear back from the spacecraft when it swings back around the Sun.”

As it approaches this record-setting distance, the Parker Solar Probe will be racing through space at a blistering speed of approximately 430,000 miles per hour. Following the flyby, the probe is scheduled to send a health check signal back to mission control on December 27, when it will be at a safer distance from the sun to re-establish communication.

This groundbreaking mission is not just a testament to human ingenuity and exploration; it also holds the promise of revealing secrets about solar winds and the magnetic processes at play in our solar system. As many scientists continue to study the nuances of solar flares and their impacts on Earth, the data gathered by the Parker Solar Probe during this pivotal six-year mission is anticipated to be a game-changer.

Stay tuned as the world watches this extraordinary spacecraft push the boundaries of what we know about our closest star!