Parker Solar Probe: Mission Status, Discoveries, and Outlook

Launched on 12 August 2018, NASA's Parker Solar Probe has completed twelve of its scheduled 24 orbits, with a minimum perihelion of 13.28 solar radii from the Sun's center. PSP is already on its way for encounter 13 (1-11 September 2022). This first phase of the mission was mainly during the solar minimum. As the Sun's magnetic activity rises toward the solar cycle maximum, the mission enters a new phase of its journey. Since 28 April 2021, the spacecraft has been sampling the sub-Alfvénic solar during each subsequent encounter. The mission's primary science goal is to determine the structure and dynamics of the Sun's coronal magnetic field, understand how the solar corona and wind are heated and accelerated, and determine what processes accelerate energetic particles. Parker Solar Probe returned a treasure trove of science data far exceeding quality, significance, and quantity expectations, leading to numerous discoveries reported in over 600 peer-reviewed publications. I will present an overview of the mission's status, achievements, and future plans.