The historic mission will take more than nine years to reach Pluto - set your calendars for July 14, 2015 - even though, traveling at 36,250 miles per hour (58,338 kilometers per hour), its NASA's fastest mission to date. The probe swung past Jupiter on Feb. 28, 2007.
Below is SPACE.com’s
story archive of the New Horizons mission. The stories are presented in reverse
chronological order with the most recent updates at the top. This page was last updated on March 30, 2007.
Encounter at Jupiter
Image of the Day: Jupiter’s Red Spot Jr.
A storm the size of Earth tearing across the surface of Jupiter gets a close-up in this view from the New Horizons probe.
All Eyes on Pluto Sunday
Telescopes all over the southwestern United States will turn toward Pluto as it meanders Sunday across the face of a star in the constellation Sagittarius. The observations could help researchers better understand the dwarf planet's atmosphere.
New Mexico Lawmaker Petitions to Restore Pluto's Planet Status
The state of New Mexico could effectively secede from the astronomical community if a resolution to call Pluto a planet is passed.
Image of the Day: Angry Io
Volcanoes on the surface of Jupiter’s moon Io spout plumes of material up to 180 miles (290 kilometers) high in this view from NASA's New Horizons probe.
NASA Probe Spies Jupiter's Moons and Storms in Flyby
Visions of a volcanic plume spewing out of Jupiter’s moon Io and a swirling storm are among the first images returned by a NASA probe as it approached an early-morning swing past the gas giant today.
Image of the Day: New Horizons' Eye on Europa
This take on Europa is the first image of the icy Jupiter moon returned by NASA’s New Horizons probe during a flyby past the planet this week.
Slingshot to Pluto
We’ve been waiting for a long time. Finally we’re on the way. But there are no “direct” flights to Pluto – the only way to get there is to first swing by Jupiter.
NASA Probe Spies Jupiter's Moons and Storms in Flyby
Visions of a volcanic plume spewing out of Jupiter’s moon Io and a swirling storm are among the first images returned by a NASA probe as it approached an early-Wednesday swing past the gas giant.
Jupiter Flyby: NASA's Pluto Probe Set for Gas Giant Rendezvous
Jupiter, the largest planet in the solar system, is about to welcome a robotic visitor in the form of NASA's New Horizons probe.
Pluto-Bound Spacecraft to Nab Speed Boost in Jupiter Flyby
A NASA probe hurtling towards Pluto will hit the accelerator next month when it flies past the planetary giant Jupiter.
NASA's Pluto Probe Prepares for Jupiter Flyby
NASA’s New Horizons probe bound for Pluto is headed for a Jupiter flyby, its camera eyes wide open, in preparation for its swing out towards the fringe of the solar system.
To the Fringe of the Solar System
Pluto's Demotion Tapped as 2006 Word of the Year
ANAHEIM, California (AP) – Pluto is finally getting some respect – from wordsmiths.
Pluto-bound Spacecraft Spots its Target
A NASA spacecraft hurtling away from Earth has caught the first glimpse of its distant destination: the dwarf planet Pluto.
Pluto-bound Probe Snaps Photo of Jupiter
NASA's New Horizons probe, bound for Pluto, snapped an image of Jupiter that astronomers said serves as a promise of what's to come early next year when the craft nears the gas giant planet.
Pluto-bound Probe Snaps First Photo
NASA's Pluto-bound New Horizons spacecraft has snapped its first high-resolution photo, an image of distant stars that shows the probe's high-resolution camera works.
Newly Found Pluto Moons Named
The International Astronomical Union has officially christened Pluto's two newest satellites Nix and Hydra.
Image of the Day: Spotty Test
NASA’s New Horizons probe bound for Pluto has tested its camera eyes on an asteroid millions of miles from Earth.
NASA’s Pluto-Bound Probe Passes Mars’ Orbit
NASA’s New Horizons probe has left the inner planets of the Solar System behind as it streaks toward a rendezvous with Pluto and its moons.
NASA Probe Enroute to Pluto in Good Health
NASA’s New Horizons probe hurtling towards the distant planet Pluto is in working order after a series of instrument checks, the mission’s top scientist said Thursday.
Hubble Finds Pluto's Moons Less Than Colorful
The color of Pluto’s two recently discovered satellites are essentially the same neutral color as Pluto’s large moon, Charon. The finding supports the theory that all three of Pluto’s moons were formed from a single giant impact that took place about 4.6 billion years ago.
Behind the Pluto Mission: An Interview with Project Leader Alan Stern
Alan Stern waited more than 17 years to see NASA launch a science mission to Pluto. He spoke about the development of the mission, his expectations and future plans via telephone and e-mail with Space News staff writer Brad Amburn.
Pluto Might Have Rings
The two new moons discovered around Pluto last year were likely formed from the same giant impact that gave birth to the Planet’s much larger moon, Charon, scientists say.
New Horizons on Track for Jupiter
The planet-sized object, catalogued as 2003 UB313, is by many accounts a planet. It is round and orbits the Sun. But because several other objects meet those criteria and also approach Pluto's size, astronomers have been wrangling over how to define the word “planet.”
Study Confirms '10th Planet' Indeed Larger than Pluto
A spacecraft headed for the Solar System’s edge has aimed itself at the planet Jupiter in a long-distance slingshot on toward Pluto.
Derelict Booster to Beat Pluto Probe to Jupiter
NASA’s Pluto-bound New Horizons spacecraft now speeding through the Solar System is set to reach Jupiter on Feb. 28, 2007, but it will not be the first craft of its mission to reach the gas giant, mission officials said this week.
Reaching for Pluto: NASA Launches Probe to Solar System's Edge
NASA’s first probe bound for the planet Pluto and beyond rocketed toward the distant world Thursday after two days of delay due to weather.
Launch Day: Countdown Coverage for NASA's New Horizons Mission
It took three attempts is as many days, but NASA's New Horizons spacecraft has successfully launched on its nine-year mission to the planet Pluto.
Aiming for Pluto
Power Outage Delays Launch of NASA's Pluto Probe
The planned launch of NASA’s first probe bound for Pluto has been delayed another day due to an early morning power outage at the spacecraft’s Maryland-based mission control center Wednesday.
Launch of NASA's Pluto Probe Delayed for 24 Hours
A NASA spacecraft destined for the planet Pluto must wait one more day after high winds prevented a Tuesday launch attempt from Florida’s Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.
Countdown: NASA's First Attempt to Loft the New Horizons Probe
NASA's first attempt to launch its New Horizons spacecraft on a more than nine-year mission to Pluto ended in a scrub Tuesday less than three minutes before its planned liftoff.
NASA's New Horizons Pluto Hours from Liftoff
The first spacecraft ever aimed at the planet Pluto is hours away from launching into space on a nine-year mission to the distant, icy world.
NASA's New Horizons Pluto Probe Ready for Launch
NASA’s first spacecraft aimed at the edge of our solar system is ready for its more than nine-year trek to the planet Pluto and beyond, mission managers said Sunday.
New Horizons Documentary a 'Passport' to Space Planning, Politics and Passion
When NASA’s New Horizons Mission lifts off for its 10-year voyage to Pluto, it will have already completed the first—and likely most harrowing—half of its journey - an odyssey that is brilliantly chronicled in the program "Passport to Pluto" currently running on both The Science Channel and NASA TV.
NASA’s Pluto Probe Set for Flight
A NASA probe bound for the planet Pluto and the distant icy realm of the Kuiper Belt is spending its final days on Earth as it nears its Jan. 17 launch date.
NASA's
Pluto Mission Draws Three Dozen Protesters
CAPE CANAVERAL -
About three dozen people assembled at the spaceport Saturday to protest this
month's planned launch of a plutonium-powered space probe bound for Pluto.
Protest Planned
Against NASA's Pluto Probe Launch
The Global Network
Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space of Brunswick, Maine has called for
a demonstration at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on Jan. 7 to protest
the launch of NASA's New Horizons Pluto mission.
For Scientist
and Englishwoman, Pluto Mission is Precious
It is the first
ever flight to Pluto and the first planetary flyby in decades, but for its lead
scientist and one Englishwoman NASA’s New Horizon mission will mark a milestone
for space exploration.
Pluto-Bound
Probe Ready For Long Journey
Billed as the first
mission to the last planet, NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft is in the final
stages of being readied for departure to Pluto.
Rocket
Checks Prompt Launch Delay for NASA's Pluto Probe
The launch of NASA’s Pluto-bound New
Horizons spacecraft is being delayed so engineers can perform precautionary boroscope inspections of the Atlas 5 rocket's first stage
fuel tank.
New
Discoveries Await Out on the Horizon
NASA's New Horizons
spacecraft is being readied for a January liftoff to the outer reaches of the
solar system. It will be humanity's first mission to Pluto and the Kuiper Belt—a vast and distant repository of the solar
system's leftover building materials—and is expected to reap rich scientific
rewards.
New
Horizons: Voyage To The Edge Of The Solar System
BOULDER,
Colorado – NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft is nearing a liftoff into the
unknown. This first mission to Pluto and the Kuiper
Belt—a distant district of ancient, icy, rocky objects on the solar system’s
outer banks—is assured to transmit back to Earth numbers of revelations.
Hurricane
Damage Prompts Booster Replacement for NASA's Pluto Probe
Lockheed Martin
technicians are replacing one of the solid-fuel boosters attached to the Atlas
5 rocket that will launch NASA's New Horizons spacecraft to Pluto because of
damage the motor sustained during Hurricane Wilma.
NASA Workers
Shield Space Shuttles, Pluto Probe From Hurricane Wilma
NASA’s Florida
spaceport stood all but empty Monday, with only an emergency crew watching over
space shuttles and planetary probes while winds from Hurricane Wilma howled
outside.
NASA's
Pluto Probe Arrives at Spaceport
A spacecraft bound for Pluto has
arrived at NASA’s Florida spaceport, bringing it one step closer in its journey
toward the distant world.
New
Horizons Pluto Probe Readied For Launch
BOULDER,
Colorado—Distance wise, Pluto is way out there. But the time to hurl a probe
toward that outlying world is close at hand.
OpEd: And Copernicus Smiled
A real revolution is afoot in
planetary science. The first shot was fired in 1930, with the discovery of
Pluto, but almost no one realized its import. The second and third shots came
in the late 1970s, with the discovery of distant objects called Chiron and Charon, but again, few recognized what they would portend.
NASA
Seeks Public Views on Nuclear-Powered Pluto Mission
CAPE
CANAVERAL -- NASA is offering people a chance to comment tonight and Wednesday
on a planned mission to Pluto that will carry nuclear fuel.
New Horizons
Set To Launch With Minimum Amount of Plutonium
WASHINGTON --
NASA is still targeting a January 2006 launch of the New Horizons Pluto probe
after the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) confirmed it can deliver most of the
nuclear fuel the spacecraft will need for its 10-year mission. A post-mission
encounter with Pluto’s mysterious Kuiper Belt
neighbors, however, appears a likely casualty of the plutonium pinch.
The battle for New Horizons
NASA's Pluto Probe to be Delayed or Make Due With
Less Power
WASHINGTON - NASA expects to
decide by mid-September between postponing the launch of a nuclear-powered
Pluto probe a full year — adding millions of dollars and three years of travel
time to the mission — and staying on schedule with a less capable spacecraft.
Nuclear Lab Shutdown Puts Pluto Mission In Jeopardy
WASHINGTON -- NASA officials
are worried that a work stoppage at Los Alamos National Laboratory could delay
the launch of a nuclear-powered Pluto mission by a year and postpone the
spacecraft’s arrival at its destination by two and a half years.
Race Against Time: Long Road to Pluto and Why We're Going
Alan
Stern is 45 years old. He was 32 when serious planning began for a mission to
Pluto, which he just learned has been quietly
and formally approved. He'll be 57 when the spacecraft he and others have
been promoting finally gets there.
Pluto
Mission a Go! Initial Funding Secured
After
an arduous political battle, initial funding for a NASA mission to Pluto and
the Kuiper Belt of frozen objects at the outskirts of
our solar system received formal approval when President Bush quietly signed an
omnibus bill last week, SPACE.com
has learned.
Senate
Panel Revives Pluto Mission
WASHINGTON
-- Ignoring NASA's wishes, the Senate Appropriations Committee included $115
million for the New Horizons mission to Pluto in approving a $15.2 billion
budget for the U.S. space agency for 2003.
Reaching
For Pluto - A Rendezvous Between Planetary Science and Politics
BOULDER,
COLORADO -- The White House, Congress, and NASA will soon seal the fate of a
mission to the most distant planet known within our family of worlds: Pluto and
its moon, Charon, the only planet-satellite system in
our solar system that has not been visited by an interplanetary probe.
Pluto
Mission Design Chosen; Must Be Ready For 2006 Launch
WASHINGTON
The hard fought battle to send a probe to distant Pluto took a major step
forward today. NASA has given a go-ahead for one team to proceed with a
preliminary design study for a Pluto-Kuiper Belt
(PKB) mission, a spacecraft that could be launched in 2006.
First
Phase of Pluto Kuiper Mission Proposal Completed
A
mission to Pluto and the Kuiper Belt of rocks and ice
beyond the planet could be ready to launch as early as December 2004, a team
chosen by NASA to study the feasibility of such a mission announced Friday.
Pluto
Mission Gets Small Congressional Reprieve
A probe droid might visit the remote ice world of
Pluto after all. The Senate Appropriations Committee recently recommended that
the Pluto-Kuiper Express (PKE) mission receive $25
million that had been earmarked for an alternative Pluto project
Pluto
Probe Faces Budget Battleground
WASHINGTON,
D.C. -- There is a big debate brewing over a small world. A full-court press is
underway by scientists for Congress to find the money to send a probe to
distant Pluto.
Pluto
Mission Saved; NASA OKs Continued Pursuit of Mission Proposals
BOULDER,
COLORADO -- Last weeks release of President
Bush’s budget blueprint for fiscal year 2001 calls for new monies to make
NASA’s Mars exploration program "more robust". How that term
translates within NASA’s $14.5 billion proposed budget will be made known early
next month when a detailed space agency budget is issued.
NASA
Kills Solar Probe and Pluto Missions
WASHINGTON
-- The Bush administration has directed NASA to kill its Pluto-Kuiper Belt Mission and Solar Probe spacecraft that was to
study the Sun up close.
Engineers
Vie to Build Pluto Probe
WASHINGTON
-- The starting gun has been fired. Teams of scientists, aerospace firms, as
well as government labs have revved up to compete in what should be called the
Pluto 500 sweepstakes.
NASA
Revives Pluto Mission; 2004 Launch Possible
WASHINGTON
-- A mission to Pluto
could launch as soon as 2004 and arrive eight years later under a NASA
directive announced Wednesday that temporarily restores the agency's hope to
explore the farthest and tiniest planet in our solar system before 2015.
Planetary
Society Vows to Keep Pushing for Pluto Mission
WASHINGTON
The Planetary Society will continue pushing NASA to send a mission to Pluto,
the advocacy groups vice president said at a Feb. 1 public meeting designed to
rally support for a 2004 launch.
Pluto,
Europa Missions Vie for Priority at NASA
WASHINGTON
- NASA’s plan for exploring the outer planets is being tugged in two
directions, with one group eager to make Pluto
the top priority and a second group just as strongly in favor of first
launching a mission to Jupiter’s icy moon Europa.
Scientists
Ask NASA and Congress to Resume Pluto Mission
Fearing
that an opportunity to study Pluto's tenuous atmosphere might be lost for
centuries, scientists are expressing their concern over NASA's plans to delay a
spacecraft mission to the distant planet.
Pluto
Mission Deferred, Europa Gets Priority
WASHINGTON
-- NASA's Pluto Express program has been downshifted to a slow crawl.
Will
NASA Go Before Pluto Freezes Over?
BOULDER,
Colo. Concerned by the possible delay or cancellation of a first-ever mission
to Pluto,
backers of the endeavor argue there is no time like the present to explore the
tiniest and most distant of the solar systems nine planets.
Costs May
Kill First-Ever Pluto Mission
PASADENA,
Calif. – Soaring budgets, a scarcity of radioactive fuel and the lack of a
tried-and-true launch vehicle may force NASA to scratch plans for a mission to
Pluto, the last unvisited planet in our solar system.
NASA
Shuffles Schedule of Three Deep-Space Missions
PASADENA,
Calif. Budget constraints may force NASA to shuffle the launches of three
upcoming missions. The two that could be postponed are a spacecraft set to zip
through the suns upper atmosphere and another to explore Jupiter’s moon Europa; a probe to faraway Pluto in 2004 would fly as
scheduled.
