New Horizons

A space probe named New Horizons flies far away.

It was sent to visit Pluto. It took the first clear pictures of Pluto.

The probe flew past a small object named Arrokoth too. It used Jupiter to help it go faster.

This fast trip helps us learn about far worlds. It is still traveling through deep space today.

New Horizons is a special space probe.

It was launched in 2006 to explore the outer Solar System. A team led by Alan Stern built the probe. It was designed to fly past Pluto.

On its way, the probe flew near Jupiter in 2007. It used a gravity assist to go faster. A gravity assist uses a planet's pull to change a spacecraft's path. This helped it reach the far reaches of space. In 2015, it reached Pluto. It was the first probe to take clear photos of Pluto.

After Pluto, it flew past another object named Arrokoth in 2019. Arrokoth is a Kuiper belt object. The Kuiper belt is a ring of icy objects far from the Sun. The probe is still traveling through this belt today. NASA wants it to keep working until it leaves the belt. It carries small items like a US flag and a coin. It even carries some ashes from Clyde Tombaugh. He was the person who found Pluto in 1930.

New Horizons is a special space probe built to explore the far reaches of our Solar System.

It belongs to NASA's New Frontiers program, which sends probes to study distant worlds. The main goal is to understand how Pluto and its moons formed. Scientists also want to learn about the Kuiper belt, which is a ring of icy objects. This mission helps us see how the early Solar System changed over time.

To reach these far places, the probe follows a very specific path. It launched on January 19, 2006, using an Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral.

On its way, it flew near Jupiter on February 28, 2007. The probe used a gravity assist from Jupiter to gain more speed. This means the planet's pull helped push the spacecraft forward. After this, the probe spent much of its trip in hibernation mode to save energy. It woke up on December 6, 2014, to prepare for its big encounter with Pluto.

The idea for this mission started many years ago. In August 1992, a scientist named Robert Staehle called Clyde Tombaugh. Tombaugh was the person who discovered Pluto back in 1930. He told the scientist that a trip to Pluto would be a long and cold one. Later, in December 2000, Stamatios "Tom" Krimigis and Alan Stern formed the New Horizons team. They competed to have their plan chosen by NASA. In November 2001, their mission was officially selected for funding.

New Horizons has achieved many amazing things since its launch. It was the first spacecraft to take high-resolution photos of Pluto in 2015.

On July 14, 2015, it flew past the dwarf planet at a great distance from the Sun. Later, on January 1, 2019, it flew past a Kuiper belt object named Arrokoth. The mission cost about $700 million over 15 years. Even though there were debates about money, the mission continues today.

This spacecraft is a mix of science and history. It is shaped somewhat like a triangle and is about the size of a grand piano.

It carries small items to remember Earth and its people. These include a US flag, a Maryland state quarter, and a Florida state quarter. It even carries some ashes from Clyde Tombaugh to honor his discovery. The probe also carries a disc with 434,738 names on it. It is still traveling through the Kuiper belt as we speak.

New Horizons is an interplanetary space probe designed to explore the outer reaches of our Solar System.

It is part of NASA's New Frontiers program. This program funds missions that are larger than Discovery missions but smaller than Flagship missions. The primary goal of New Horizons is to study the formation of the Pluto system and the Kuiper belt. By examining these distant objects, scientists hope to understand how the early Solar System transformed over time.

The spacecraft follows a complex path to reach its distant targets. It launched on January 19, 2006, from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. An Atlas V rocket carried it into an Earth-and-solar escape trajectory. At launch, it was the fastest human-made object ever sent from Earth.

On February 28, 2007, the probe made its closest approach to Jupiter. This flyby provided a gravity assist, which means the planet's gravity helped increase the probe's speed. During this encounter, the spacecraft also tested its scientific instruments by collecting data on Jupiter's atmosphere, moons, and magnetosphere.

The mission has several distinct phases of operation. After the Jupiter flyby, New Horizons entered a long period of hibernation. This mode was used to preserve the onboard systems during the long journey. The spacecraft only woke up for brief annual checkouts. On December 6, 2014, the team brought it back online to prepare for the Pluto encounter. On January 15, 2015, the spacecraft began its formal approach phase.

History shows that the idea for this mission began decades ago. In August 1992, scientist Robert Staehle contacted Clyde Tombaugh, the man who discovered Pluto. Tombaugh welcomed the idea of a visit, though he noted it would be a long and cold trip. In December 2000, Stamatios "Tom" Krimigis and Alan Stern formed the New Horizons team. Stern served as the project's principal investigator. The team competed against other proposals, such as the POSSE mission from the University of Colorado Boulder.

Funding for the mission was a major part of its history. Although selected in 2001, the mission faced cancellation when the NASA Administrator did not include it in the 2003 budget. To save the mission, Alan Stern lobbied for its inclusion in the Planetary Science Decadal Survey. This survey is a prioritized "wish list" created by the National Research Council. Because the scientific community ranked New Horizons as a top priority, funding was eventually secured. The total mission cost approximately $700 million over 15 years.

New Horizons has achieved many scientific milestones. On July 14, 2015, it became the first spacecraft to fly above the surface of Pluto. It provided the first high-resolution photographs of the dwarf planet.

The probe also studied the Kuiper belt object 486958 Arrokoth. It flew past Arrokoth on January 1, 2019, when the object was 44 AU from the Sun.

Additionally, the Alice instrument helped confirm the existence of a "hydrogen wall" at the edge of the Solar System. This wall was first detected by the Voyager spacecraft in 1992.

The spacecraft itself is a highly specialized machine. It is roughly the size of a grand piano. The main structure is a 7075 aluminum alloy tube. This tube holds a titanium fuel tank. The probe uses a radioisotope thermoelectric generator, or RTG, for power.

It also carries nine cultural artifacts. These include a compact disc with 434,738 names and the ashes of Clyde Tombaugh. The mission is expected to continue until the probe exits the Kuiper belt, which should happen in 2028 or 2029.