A s planned, NASA's Parker Solar Probe has completed a record-breaking approach to the Sun while also transmitting a beacon tone back to Earth that indicated it remains in good he

NASA sent its Parker Solar Probe just 3.8 million miles from the surface of the Sun — and it survived. The probe transmitted a signal back to Earth on the night of December 26th, “indicating it’s in good health and operating normally,” according to NASA.

The probe was launched in 2018 and first entered the solar atmosphere in 2021. Its latest achievement comes six months after the probe completed its 20th close approach to the sun, coming about 4.51 million miles from the solar surface and moving at about 394,736 miles per hour in June.