Nasa spacecraft survives the closest-ever approach to the Sun, space agency says

Sign up to our free weekly IndyTech newsletter delivered straight to your inbox Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy A Nasa spacecraft is in “good health” after going closer to the Sun than anything ever has, the space agency has said. The Parker Solar Probe appears to have successfully completed a journey to within 3.8 million miles of the Sun’s surface as part of its mission to explore the still mysterious processes that power it. It succeeded in that journey, with the spacecraft successfully withstanding temperatures up to 983C and flying by the Sun at 430,000 miles per hour, Nasa said. Nasa said: “Following its record-breaking closest approach to the sun, Nasa’s Parker Solar Probe has transmitted a beacon tone back to Earth indicating it’s in good health and operating normally.” Scientists hope the mission will allow them to measure how material is heated to millions of degrees, find where solar wind comes from and learn how energetic particles reach near light speeds.