Launched in 2018, the Parker Solar Probe has used repeated gravity assists from Venus to approach to within 9.9 solar radii (just under 7 million km) from the centre of the Sun. It was named after Professor Eugene Parker, theoretical solar physicist at the University of Chicago who predicted and developed the theory of the solar wind.
The first results from the Parker Solar Probe were released in 2019, although it will not reach its closest distance from the Sun until 2024.
The spacecraft carries a special shield to protect it from direct solar radiation when it is near the Sun.
