Parker Solar Probe
NASA2018–presentActive
flybySunParker Solar Probe
Active
2,816
days and counting
Live position
Not Earth-trackable
This mission operates in deep space — beyond the regime where SGP4 and CelesTrak TLEs apply. Real-time positioning needs NASA's JPL Horizons system, which isn't wired up yet. We track ISS, Tiangong, Hubble, and Chandra in low/high Earth orbit instead.
About this mission
The closest any spacecraft has ever been to the Sun. Uses a heat shield to survive temperatures above 1,300°C while sampling the solar corona directly.
This mission has been operating for 2,816 days (7.7 years) — and it's still going.
Flyby missions use gravity assists to reach multiple destinations. Data is compressed into hours of intense observation at closest approach.
Timeline
12 Aug 2018Still operating
2,816 days and counting
Parker Solar Probe — 3D Model
flyby classDrag to rotate · scroll to zoom
Procedural representation based on spacecraft class. Not to scale.
