Nasa successfully launches the first-ever probe into the Sun

Nasa on Saturday launched the first ever probe that will head towards the Sun. This will be mankind’s first mission that will travel to our star’s outer atmosphere. Moreover, this is the first man-made satellite that is named after a living individual, named Eugene Parker, who is an astrophysicist and the first describe solar winds in 1958. The satellite was launched at approximately 03:31 local time from Cape Canaveral, Florida.

The rocket that carried the probe was the United Launch Alliance’s Delta IV, which is expendable and designed to launch heavy payloads into orbit. United Launch Alliance (ULA) is a joint venture by Lockheed Martin Space Systems and Boeing Defense, Space & Security. The sun’s outer atmosphere is called Corona and Parker will attempt to improve our understanding of the dynamics of it over a seven year period. It will make 24 loops around the sun and gather comprehensive data about all the activities of the Corona. Additionally, the Parker probe is set to become the fastest man-made object ever, travelling at 690,000km/h around the sun.