Parker Solar Probe is shielded from the sun during its flybys by a thermal protection system. That heat shield is performing better than expected, said Betsy Congdon, lead engineer for the thermal protection system at APL. “We expect lower temperatures that we designed for and that we tested to,” she described at the briefing. “We overprepared.”

Other systems on the spacecraft are performing better on the system, Rawafi said. One example is the spacecraft’s solar panels, which are degrading less than predicted before launch. “The system is very healthy and it can go much further than we planned for.”

This reminds me of how Mars rovers Spirit and Opportunity were originally planned for a three-month mission and ended up working for 5 and 14 years respectively.