First to Pluto
New Horizons made history on 14 July 2015 when it became the first spacecraft to fly past Pluto, revealing a world far more complex than expected — with nitrogen glaciers, towering ice mountains, and a thin atmosphere. The flyby occurred at just 12,500 km and 13.8 km/s, capturing images at 80 metres per pixel.
Arrokoth and Beyond
On 1 January 2019, New Horizons flew past Arrokoth (formerly 2014 MU69), a Kuiper Belt object roughly 36 km long shaped like a flattened snowman — the most distant flyby ever conducted. The spacecraft is now traversing the Kuiper Belt, studying the heliospheric environment.
Mission Timeline
2006-01-19
Launch — fastest spacecraft at launch
2007-02-28
Jupiter gravity assist
2015-07-14
Pluto flyby at 12,500 km
2019-01-01
Arrokoth flyby — most distant ever