New Horizons Info





New Horizons launched on Jan. 19, 2006; it swung past Jupiterfor a gravity boost and scientific studies in February 2007, and willconduct a six-month-long reconnaissance flyby study of Pluto andits moons starting in early 2015. Pluto closest approach occurson July 14, 2015. If NASA approves an extended mission, thespacecraft could head farther into the Kuiper Belt to examine oneor two of the ancient, icy mini-worlds in that vast region, at least abillion miles beyond Neptune’s orbit.Sending a spacecraft on this long journey will help us answer basicquestions about the surface properties, geology, interior makeupand atmospheres on these bodies.

The National Academy of Sciences has ranked the exploration of theKuiper Belt – including Pluto – ofthe highest priority for solar systemexploration. Generally, New Horizonsseeks to understand where Pluto andits moons “fit in” with the other objectsin the solar system, such as the innerrocky planets (Earth, Mars, Venusand Mercury) and the outergas giants (Jupiter, Saturn,Uranus and Neptune).Pluto and its largestmoon, Charon, belongto a third categoryknown as “ice dwarfs.” They have solid surfaces but,unlike the terrestrial planets, a significant portionof their mass is icy material.Using Hubble Space Telescope images,New Horizons team membershave discovered four previouslyunknown moons of Pluto: Nix,Hydra, Styx and Kerberos.

Official NASA New Horizon's mission page

Countdowns, locatino trackers, and more

