Parker Solar Probe
Mission overview
Parker Solar Probe is the first spacecraft to fly through the Sun's corona, becoming the fastest human-made object.
Mission data
Identity and engineering data from Wikidata (type-verified match · Q899091) · launch date 2018-08-12 confirmed
| International designator | 2018-065A | Wikidata · catalogued |
| Operator | The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory LLC | Wikidata · catalogued |
| Manufacturer | The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory LLC | Wikidata · catalogued |
| Launch mass | 685 kg | Wikidata · catalogued |
Full field-level provenance
- International designator: Wikidata (Wikimedia Foundation) — community-curated structured knowledge base · Wikidata · wdt · P247 · catalogued value · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Operator: Wikidata (Wikimedia Foundation) — community-curated structured knowledge base · Wikidata · wdt · P137 · catalogued value · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Manufacturer: Wikidata (Wikimedia Foundation) — community-curated structured knowledge base · Wikidata · wdt · P176 · catalogued value · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Launch mass: Wikidata (Wikimedia Foundation) — community-curated structured knowledge base · Wikidata · wdt · P2067 · catalogued value · retrieved 2026-07-11
Sourced from Wikidata (community-maintained structured data, whose statements link to their own citations where provided); each value carries its Wikidata QID. A field with conflicting Wikidata values is omitted. Launch date is used only to cross-check the catalogue, never to override it. Fields Wikidata did not provide, or where conflicting values exist, are omitted, never invented.
Primary-source verification
Committed mission facts cross-checked against the official NASA primary source — NASA Science — Parker Solar Probe.
| Launch date | 2018-08-12 | Confirmed by primary |
| Launch mass | 685 kg | Confirmed by primary |
Verified by corroboration against the official agency document: a launch date is “Confirmed by primary” only when the page literally states it; a launch mass only when the page states a figure equal to it within catalogue rounding (±0.5%). Source precedence is primary agency > peer-reviewed > official mission page > structured secondary > Wikidata; a primary source outranks Wikidata but no engineering value is transcribed from the page — an uncorroborated value is kept as its original (secondary) source, never re-labelled primary. Checked 2026-07-12.
Derived values
Computed from source-backed inputs via standard formulae — not observations. Every input and constant is traced below.
- Time since launch7.9 yearscalculated
Formula & inputs
Formula: Δt = reference − launch (v1.0.0, impl v1.0.0)
Inputs:
- launchDate = 17755 days (JD-like) · NASA
Limitations: A time-dependent value: it is elapsed time as of the stated reference instant, not a fixed total.; Elapsed time since launch is not the same as time spent operating at the target.
Uncertainty: not propagated (inputs carry no catalogued uncertainty)
Computed as of 2026-06-29.
Outcome & discoveries
Made the closest-ever approaches to the Sun, sampling the solar wind at its source.
- ★First in-situ measurements within the Sun's corona
- ★Discovery of magnetic 'switchbacks' in the solar wind
Mission profile
Knowledge connections
- Operated byNASA
- Mission targetThe Sun
- Launched byDelta IV Heavy
- Launched fromCape Canaveral Space Force Station
- Tracked byDeep Space Network (DSN)
- ObservesSolar Wind
- Associated withFastest Human-Made Object
- Associated withCoronal Holes
- Associated withThe Coronal Heating Problem
- Associated withThe Parker Spiral
Related missions
| Mission | Type | Agency | Launch | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Freedom 7 (Mercury-Redstone 3) | Crewed suborbital | NASA | 1961-05-05 | Completed |
| Friendship 7 (Mercury-Atlas 6) | Crewed orbital | NASA | 1962-02-20 | Completed |
| Apollo 8The Moon | Crewed lunar orbit | NASA | 1968-12-21 | Completed |
| Apollo 11The Moon | Crewed lunar landing | NASA | 1969-07-16 | Completed |
| Apollo 13The Moon | Crewed lunar (aborted) | NASA | 1970-04-11 | Completed |
| Apollo 17The Moon | Crewed lunar landing | NASA | 1972-12-07 | Completed |
Sources
The primary and reference sources this topic draws on.
- NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration
Mission data, planetary science, space telescopes, and public-domain imagery.
Most NASA-produced imagery is in the public domain; individual items are checked for usage terms before publication.