An artist’s impression of the Parker Solar Probe near the Sun’s corona. (NASA Goddard/YouTube)
NASA’s Parker Solar Probe has broken the record for the fastest human-made object, reaching speeds of 635,266 km/h (394,736 mph) during its 17th orbit around the Sun on September 27, 2022.
- The previous record was set by the probe itself in 2020 at 586,863 km/h (364,660 mph).
- At these speeds, the probe could circle Earth about 15 times in one hour, or fly from New York to LA in 20 seconds.
- The probe achieved these speeds while passing just 7.26 million km above the Sun’s surface, the closest any spacecraft has gotten to the Sun.
- The probe uses carefully timed gravity assists from Venus to slow it enough to get very close orbits around the Sun.
- Parker will make 24 total orbits, getting closer each time, to gather data on the solar winds and Sun’s corona to better understand the Sun.
- With 7 orbits to go, Parker will likely continue breaking its own speed records as it spirals closer and closer to the Sun.
Source: In Record-Breaking Swing Past the Sun, Parker Solar Probe Tops 700,000 KM/H
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