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APL New Horizons
APL · Kuiper Belt / Pluto Flyby Probe / Pluto / Kuiper Belt Object Exploration · USA · Modern (1992–2009)
New Horizons is an interplanetary space probe launched as a part of NASA's New Frontiers program. It was launched in 2006, becoming the first spacecraft to perform a flyby study of the Pluto system in 2015. A secondary mission contained a flyby and study of one or more other Kuiper belt objects (KBOs) in the decade to follow, where it flew past 486958 Arrokoth in 2019. It was the first space probe to ever take high-resolution photographs of Pluto, in 2015.
Specifications
- Category
- Space
- Sub-Category
- Space Probe
- Domain
- Civil
- Era
- Modern (1992–2009)
- Country
- USA
- Manufacturer
- APL
- Co-Manufacturer
- SwRI
- Operator
- NASA
- Primary Role
- Kuiper Belt / Pluto Flyby Probe / Pluto / Kuiper Belt Object Exploration
- Status
- In Service
- Service Entry
- 2006
- Produced
- 1
- Unit Cost (2026$)
- ~$780M
- Launch
- Atlas V 551 (2006)
- MTOW (lb)
- 1054