Parker Solar Probe by the Helios 2 spacecraft. The "Parker Solar Probe" concept originates from a predecessor "Solar Orbiter" project conceived in the 1990s. Similar in design and objectives, the "Solar Probe" mission served as one of the centerpieces of the eponymous Outer Planet/Solar Probe (OPSP) program formulated by NASA. The first three missions of the program were planned to be: the "Solar Orbiter", the Pluto and Kuiper belt reconnaissance mission "Pluto Kuiper Express", and the "Europa Orbiter" astrobiology mission focused on Europa. The original "Solar Probe" design used a gravity assist from Jupiter to enter a polar orbit which dropped almost directly
Parker Solar Probe the early 2010s, plans for the "Solar Probe" mission were incorporated into a lower-cost "Solar Probe Plus". The redesigned mission uses multiple Venus gravity assists for a more direct flight path, which can be powered by solar panels. It also has a higher perihelion, reducing the demands on the thermal protection system. In May 2017, the spacecraft was renamed "Parker Solar Probe" in honor of astrophysicist Eugene Parker, coiner of the term "solar wind". The solar probe cost NASA US$1.5 billion. The launch rocket bore a dedication in memory of APL engineer Andrew A. Dantzler who had worked on the