New Horizons
NASA probe that visited Pluto and Kuiper belt object 486958 Arrokoth / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
New Horizons is an interplanetary space probe launched as a part of NASA's New Frontiers program.[5] Engineered by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) and the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI), with a team led by Alan Stern,[6] the spacecraft was launched in 2006 with the primary mission to perform a flyby study of the Pluto system in 2015, and a secondary mission to fly by and study one or more other Kuiper belt objects (KBOs) in the decade to follow, which became a mission to 486958 Arrokoth. It is the fifth space probe to achieve the escape velocity needed to leave the Solar System.
Mission type | Flyby (132524 APL · Jupiter · Pluto · 486958 Arrokoth) | ||||||||||||||||
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Operator | NASA | ||||||||||||||||
COSPAR ID | 2006-001A | ||||||||||||||||
SATCAT no. | 28928 | ||||||||||||||||
Website | pluto science.nasa.gov/mission/new-horizons | ||||||||||||||||
Mission duration | Primary mission: 9.5 years Elapsed: 18 years, 5 months, 22 days | ||||||||||||||||
Spacecraft properties | |||||||||||||||||
Manufacturer | APL / SwRI | ||||||||||||||||
Launch mass | 478 kg (1,054 lb)[1] | ||||||||||||||||
Dry mass | 401 kg (884 lb) | ||||||||||||||||
Payload mass | 30.4 kg (67 lb) | ||||||||||||||||
Dimensions | 2.2 × 2.1 × 2.7 m (7.2 × 6.9 × 8.9 ft) | ||||||||||||||||
Power | 245 watts | ||||||||||||||||
Start of mission | |||||||||||||||||
Launch date | January 19, 2006, 19:00:00.221 (2006-01-19UTC19) UTC[2] | ||||||||||||||||
Rocket | Atlas V (551) AV-010[2] + Star 48B 3rd stage | ||||||||||||||||
Launch site | Cape Canaveral SLC-41 | ||||||||||||||||
Contractor | International Launch Services[3] | ||||||||||||||||
Orbital parameters | |||||||||||||||||
Eccentricity | 1.41905 | ||||||||||||||||
Inclination | 2.23014° | ||||||||||||||||
Epoch | January 1, 2017 (JD 2457754.5)[4] | ||||||||||||||||
Flyby of 132524 APL (incidental) | |||||||||||||||||
Closest approach | June 13, 2006, 04:05 UTC | ||||||||||||||||
Distance | 101,867 km (63,297 mi) | ||||||||||||||||
Flyby of Jupiter (gravity assist) | |||||||||||||||||
Closest approach | February 28, 2007, 05:43:40 UTC | ||||||||||||||||
Distance | 2,300,000 km (1,400,000 mi) | ||||||||||||||||
Flyby of Pluto | |||||||||||||||||
Closest approach | July 14, 2015, 11:49:57 UTC | ||||||||||||||||
Distance | 12,500 km (7,800 mi) | ||||||||||||||||
Flyby of Charon (moon) | |||||||||||||||||
Closest approach | July 14, 2015, 12:02:22 UTC | ||||||||||||||||
Distance | 29,431 km (18,288 mi) | ||||||||||||||||
Flyby of 486958 Arrokoth | |||||||||||||||||
Closest approach | January 1, 2019, 05:33:00 UTC | ||||||||||||||||
Distance | 3,500 km (2,200 mi) | ||||||||||||||||
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On January 19, 2006, New Horizons was launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station by an Atlas V rocket directly into an Earth-and-solar escape trajectory with a speed of about 16.26 km/s (10.10 mi/s; 58,500 km/h; 36,400 mph). It was the fastest (average speed with respect to Earth) human-made object ever launched from Earth.[7][8][9][10] It is not the fastest speed recorded for a spacecraft, which, as of 2023, is that of the Parker Solar Probe. After a brief encounter with asteroid 132524 APL, New Horizons proceeded to Jupiter, making its closest approach on February 28, 2007, at a distance of 2.3 million kilometers (1.4 million miles). The Jupiter flyby provided a gravity assist that increased New Horizons' speed; the flyby also enabled a general test of New Horizons' scientific capabilities, returning data about the planet's atmosphere, moons, and magnetosphere.
Most of the post-Jupiter voyage was spent in hibernation mode to preserve onboard systems, except for brief annual checkouts.[11] On December 6, 2014, New Horizons was brought back online for the Pluto encounter, and instrument check-out began.[12] On January 15, 2015, the spacecraft began its approach phase to Pluto.
On July 14, 2015, at 11:49 UTC, it flew 12,500 km (7,800 mi) above the surface of Pluto,[13][14] which at the time was 34 AU from the Sun,[15] making it the first spacecraft to explore the dwarf planet.[16] In August 2016, New Horizons was reported to have traveled at speeds of more than 84,000 km/h (52,000 mph).[17] On October 25, 2016, at 21:48 UTC, the last recorded data from the Pluto flyby was received from New Horizons.[18] Having completed its flyby of Pluto,[19] New Horizons then maneuvered for a flyby of Kuiper belt object 486958 Arrokoth (then nicknamed Ultima Thule),[20][21][22] which occurred on January 1, 2019,[23][24] when it was 43.4 AU (6.49 billion km; 4.03 billion mi) from the Sun.[20][21] In August 2018, NASA cited results by Alice on New Horizons to confirm the existence of a "hydrogen wall" at the outer edges of the Solar System. This "wall" was first detected in 1992 by the two Voyager spacecraft.[25][26]
As of July 2024, New Horizons is traveling through the Kuiper belt; it is 58.3 AU (8.72 billion km; 5.42 billion mi) from Earth and 59.3 AU (8.87 billion km; 5.51 billion mi) from the Sun.[27] NASA has announced it is to extend operations for New Horizons until the spacecraft exits the Kuiper belt, which is expected to occur between 2028 and 2029.[28]