The Solar Probe Sets Record for Fastest Human-Made Object The spacecraft is tasked with capturing close-up images of the Sun’s outer corona and has just broken its own previous record.
Illustration of the probe approaching the Sun. (Photo: Naeblys/Adobe).
The Solar Probe continues to shatter records as the fastest man-made object ever created. Its mission is to capture close-up images of the Sun’s outer corona, and it has recently surpassed its own previous record.
On June 29, the Solar Probe traveled at a speed of 635,266 km/h. This marks the second time the probe has achieved such speeds since its launch in 2018, and it may reach similar or even higher speeds in the future.
Traveling at this speed means that the spacecraft is moving approximately 500 times faster than the speed of sound. The maximum speed that engineers predict it could reach during its mission is 692,000 km/h, and it is expected to achieve this speed by 2025.
The Solar Probe’s mission is to capture images of the corona from a close distance. (Photo: muratart/Adobe).
The Solar Probe is one of our greatest technological achievements. Designed to withstand the dangerous radiation and heat of the Sun, it can approach this intensely active plasma sphere closer than any other spacecraft.
This probe has allowed us to gather substantial data on solar activity. It has completed 20 orbits around the star in the past six years.
It is unlikely that any artificial object will break the Solar Probe’s record in the near future, but if it does, it will likely be another spacecraft, possibly one designed with nuclear thermal propulsion.
