New Horizons

New Horizons is a NASA spacecraft that made the first close flyby of Pluto in 2015 and explored the Kuiper Belt object Arrokoth in 2019.

Pluto: Pluto is a dwarf planet in the Kuiper Belt, discovered in 1930. New Horizons made the first close exploration of Pluto, revealing its varied geology and atmosphere.
Gravity assist: A gravity assist changes a spacecraft’s speed or direction by passing near a moving celestial body. A Jupiter flyby increased New Horizons’ speed toward Pluto.
Alan Stern: Alan Stern is an American planetary scientist and principal investigator of the New Horizons mission. He led the mission’s scientific team and advocated for exploration of Pluto.
Kuiper Belt: The Kuiper Belt is a region beyond Neptune containing many small icy bodies and dwarf planets. New Horizons became the first mission to explore objects in this distant region up close.
Arrokoth: Arrokoth is a small contact-binary object in the Kuiper Belt, visited by New Horizons in 2019. The spacecraft’s second flyby examined this primitive object beyond Pluto.
Radioisotope thermoelectric generator: A radioisotope thermoelectric generator converts heat from radioactive decay into electrical power. It supplied electricity far beyond the reach of practical solar panels.
New Frontiers program: NASA’s New Frontiers program funds medium-class planetary science missions selected through competition. New Horizons was the program’s first mission.
Sputnik Planitia: Sputnik Planitia is a vast nitrogen-ice plain on Pluto, forming part of its bright heart-shaped region. Its young, convecting ice surface was a striking discovery in New Horizons imagery.
Charon: Charon is Pluto’s largest moon, with a surface marked by canyons, craters, and reddish terrain. New Horizons mapped Charon during its Pluto system flyby.
Ralph (instrument): Ralph is New Horizons’ visible and infrared imaging instrument, combining cameras with a spectral mapper. Its images and color spectra mapped surface features during the flybys.

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