New Horizons: The Pluto Flyby Probe
New Horizons is a NASA space probe launched to study Pluto and its moons, as well as other objects in the Kuiper Belt. Launched on 19 January 2006, it was the first mission to explore Pluto up close, providing unprecedented data and images of the dwarf planet and its satellites.
| Active satellites | 15,754 |
| Catalogued objects | 31,428 |
| Starlink active | 10,027 |
What is New Horizons?
New Horizons is a NASA space probe launched to study Pluto and its moons, as well as other objects in the Kuiper Belt. Launched on 19 January 2006, it was the first mission to explore Pluto up close, providing unprecedented data and images of the dwarf planet and its satellites. The spacecraft was developed as part of NASA's New Frontiers programme, which aims to conduct high-priority planetary missions with a focus on scientific exploration.
Mission and Purpose
The primary mission of New Horizons was to perform a flyby study of the Pluto system, which it successfully accomplished on 14 July 2015. During this flyby, the probe gathered detailed information on Pluto's atmosphere, surface, and moons, transforming our understanding of this distant world. Following its Pluto encounter, New Horizons continued its journey into the Kuiper Belt, where it conducted a flyby of the Kuiper Belt object (KBO) Arrokoth on 1 January 2019. This secondary mission aims to study the Kuiper Belt's composition and the formation of the solar system.
Orbital Characteristics
New Horizons is currently on a heliocentric trajectory, meaning it orbits the Sun rather than Earth. After its Pluto flyby, the spacecraft is travelling at a speed of approximately 14.43 km/s relative to the Sun. It is not in a traditional orbit with a defined period or inclination, as it is on an escape trajectory from the solar system. The spacecraft's current position and trajectory can be monitored through Orbital Radar's Satellite Library, which provides real-time updates on its journey.
Significance and Legacy
The New Horizons mission has been pivotal in reshaping our understanding of the outer solar system. Its flyby of Pluto revealed complex geology, including vast plains of nitrogen ice and towering mountains of water ice. The mission's success demonstrated the feasibility of exploring distant solar system bodies with relatively low-cost missions. The data collected continues to be analysed, offering insights into planetary formation and evolution. New Horizons' legacy is cemented as a milestone in space exploration, providing a foundation for future missions to the Kuiper Belt and beyond.
Current Status
As of now, New Horizons remains operational and continues to send data back to Earth. It is currently over 50 astronomical units (AU) from the Sun, travelling deeper into the Kuiper Belt. The spacecraft's power is supplied by a radioisotope thermoelectric generator (RTG), which is expected to provide sufficient energy for scientific operations until the late 2030s. Updates on the spacecraft's status and trajectory are available on Orbital Radar's Satellite Library, which tracks its ongoing journey through the solar system.
📎 Cite this article · data available
Orbital Radar Newsroom. (2026). New Horizons: The Pluto Flyby Probe. Orbital Radar. https://orbitalradar.com/blog/new-horizons-pluto-flyby-probe"New Horizons: The Pluto Flyby Probe." Orbital Radar, 2 October 2026, https://orbitalradar.com/blog/new-horizons-pluto-flyby-probe.@misc{orbitalradar_new_horizons_pluto_flyby_probe,
title = {New Horizons: The Pluto Flyby Probe},
author = {{Orbital Radar}},
year = {2026},
howpublished = {\url{https://orbitalradar.com/blog/new-horizons-pluto-flyby-probe}}
}
