Spacecraft attempts closest-ever approach to Sun

Nasa’s pioneering Parker Solar Probe is poised to make its closest-ever approach of a record-setting 3.8 million miles (6.2 million kilometres) to the Sun on Christmas Eve.

The spaceship, launched in August 2018, is on a seven-year mission to deepen scientific understanding of our star and assist forecast space-weather events, which can affect life on Earth.

If the distance between the Sun and the Earth is equivalent to the length of an American football field, the spacecraft would be about four yards (meters) from the end zone at that point.

Arik Posner, Parker Solar Probe program scientist, said this is one example of Nasa’s bold missions, doing something that no one else has ever done before to answer longstanding questions about our universe.”

He added: “We can’t wait to receive that first status update from the spacecraft and start receiving the science data in the coming weeks.”

During this closest approach, the mission teams will lose direct contact with Parker and rely on a “beacon tone” this Friday to confirm the spacecraft’s status.