NASA to attempt delayed launch of Parker Solar Probe at 1pm: Watch live here

The new, 60-minute launch window opens at 1.01 pm (IST) for the Parker Solar Probe.

Tech2 News Staff|Aug 12, 2018, 12:12:26 IST

Take two.After a last-minute technical problem forced NASA to postpone by 24 hours the launch of its first mission to explore the Sun, the agency plans to try again on Sunday.The new, 60-minute launch window opens at 1.01 pm (IST) for the Parker Solar Probe, a $1.5 billion unmanned spacecraft that aims to get closer than any human-made object in history to the center of our solar system, if all goes according to plan.You can watch the live stream here:

The probe is designed to plunge into the Sun's mysterious atmosphere, known as the corona, coming within 6.16 million kilometers of its surface during a seven-year mission.It is protected by an ultra-powerful heat shield that can endure unprecedented levels of heat, and radiation 500 times that experienced on Earth.The car-sized probe is designed to give scientists a better understanding of solar wind and geomagnetic storms that risk wreaking chaos on Earth by knocking out the power grid.[caption id="attachment_4876351" align="alignnone" width="1280"]

Illustration of NASA’s Parker Solar Probe approaching the Sun. Image: NASA[/caption]Saturday's scrub was caused by a helium gas sensor that surpassed a launch limit on the Delta IV-Heavy rocket, United Launch Alliance said.The weather forecast was expected to be about 60 percent favorable for launch, according to ULA.With inputs from AFP

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