New Horizons Space Probe
The new horizons spacecraft launched on january 19 2006 beginning its odyssey to pluto and the kuiper belt.
New horizons space probe. New horizons launched from florida s kennedy space center on january 19 2006. 19 2006 and conducted a six month long reconnaissance flyby study of pluto and its moons in summer 2015 culminating with pluto closest approach on july 14 2015. The new horizons spacecraft is truly a mission of firsts and this demonstration of stellar parallax is no different said kenneth hansen new horizons program scientist at nasa headquarters in.
With substantial public input the team has chosen ultima thule pronounced ultima thoo lee for the kuiper belt object the new horizons spacecraft will explore on jan. Officially known as 2014 mu69 the object which orbits a billion miles beyond pluto will be the most primitive world ever observed by spacecraft in the farthest planetary encounter in history. New horizons now continues on its unparalleled journey of exploration with the close flyby of a kuiper belt object called 2014 mu69 officially named arrokoth on january 1 2019.
New horizons launched on jan. New horizons historic flyby of the kbo 2014 mu69 also known as arrokoth has revealed incredible insights about the birth of the solar system. Nasa s new horizons spacecraft is the first spacecraft to explore pluto up close flying by the dwarf planet and its moons on july 14 2015.
The probe about the size of a piano weighed nearly 1 054 pounds at launch. New horizons launched on jan. New horizons is the first of nasa s new frontiers mission probes which are medium class missions designed to explore different destinations in the solar system.
It swung past jupiter for a gravity boost and scientific studies in february 2007 and conducted a six month long reconnaissance flyby study of pluto and its moons in summer 2015 culminating with pluto closest approach on july 14 2015. New horizons is an interplanetary space probe that was launched as a part of nasa s new frontiers program.