NASA’s Parker Solar Probe, which made the closest-ever flyby of the sun on Christmas Eve, has been silent since Dec. 20. The spacecraft flew within 3.8 million miles of the solar surface, reaching speeds of up to 430,000 mph. Scientists are now waiting for a “status beacon” from the probe, expected around midnight on Friday (Dec. 27), before they can determine its status.
The flyby was automated and scientists had previously received a signal from the probe on Dec. 20, indicating that all spacecraft systems were operating normally. A more robust status update is expected on New Year’s Day, Jan. 1, when the probe will beam its first telemetry and housekeeping data to Earth.
According to NASA officials, the Parker Solar Probe was designed to study the sun like never before by getting closer to the star than anything built by human hands in history. The spacecraft used gravity boosts from Venus seven times to reach its current speed, and it has at least two more orbits ahead at the same speed and distance from the sun.
Scientists hope that the probe will help explain why the outer layers of the sun’s atmosphere are so much hotter than the surface of the star itself. If all goes well, the first science data from the Christmas Eve flyby should be transmitted to Earth in late January.
Source: https://www.space.com/the-universe/sun/scientists-await-signal-from-nasas-parker-solar-probe-after-historic-close-sun-flyby-will-it-phone-home