Exciting news from NASA’s Parker Solar Probe! On August 3, 2023, the spacecraft executed a short maneuver to stay on track for its sixth Venus flyby on August 21, 2023.
Operating under the guidance of mission control at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Maryland, Parker made a precise adjustment to its trajectory. By firing its small thrusters for 4.5 seconds, the spacecraft shifted its course by 77 miles and accelerated its closest approach to Venus by 1.4 seconds. This maneuver is crucial for the upcoming flyby, which is the sixth of seven approaches where Parker utilizes Venus’ gravity to tighten its orbit around the sun.
“Parker’s velocity is about 8.7 miles per second, so this trajectory correction maneuver may seem insignificant in terms of changing the spacecraft’s speed and direction,” explained Yanping Guo, mission design and navigation manager at APL. “However, it is critical to ensure the desired gravity assist at Venus, which will significantly alter Parker’s speed and distance from the sun.”
When Parker Solar Probe reaches its closest point to the sun’s surface—just 4.5 million miles away—it will be traveling at a staggering speed of 394,742 miles per hour. This will break its own record for both speed and solar distance on September 27, 2023.
