Skip to main content

New Horizons space probe heading to Kuiper Belt object in post-Pluto mission

After three billion miles and nine years in space, NASA’s New Horizons space probe arrived at Pluto earlier this year and captured stunning images of the most distant planet in our solar system. An astronomer’s dream, these images provided NASA with the closest and most detailed look at Pluto they have ever seen. Last week, NASA compiled the best of these images in a motion video that showcases the probe’s approach, pass-by, and departure from Pluto. But as the agency continues to analyze the Pluto data, it’s also planning the probe’s next fly-by destination, an object named 2014 MU69 in the Kuiper belt that’s almost a billion miles away from Pluto.

NASA hopes to use this next mission to study the composition and other properties of objects that are positioned at the outer edge of the solar system. Astronomers are interested in these Kuiper belt objects (KBOs) because they are the building blocks of Belt planets such as Pluto. This particular object was chosen for the mission due to its size and location. It’s small enough that it has not been modified by geologic processes and is far enough away from the sun’s influence that it likely has maintained its original composition. It also can be reached easily by the New Horizons spacecraft with minimal fuel consumption.

Object 2014 MU69 is thought to be approximately 25 kilometers (15.5 miles) wide, but it could be as large as 45 kilometers (28 miles). It is larger than most comets, but smaller than planets like Pluto, making it an ideal size for further investigation. Just as it did with Pluto, scientists hope to use the high resolution fly-by photos to gain a deeper understanding of the Kuiper Belt and KBOs when the probe makes its pass-by.

Now that a destination has been chosen, NASA has to approve the New Horizons’ project in a proposal that is expected to succeed. Once approved, the probe will start burning fuel later this year as it begins to navigate deeper into the Kuiper belt. It is scheduled to reach object 2014 MU69 on January 1, 2019, and continue on its journey beyond our solar system. It will maintain its course away from Earth until it runs out of power sometime in the 2030s.

Editors' Recommendations

Kelly Hodgkins
Kelly's been writing online for ten years, working at Gizmodo, TUAW, and BGR among others. Living near the White Mountains of…
How to watch SpaceX Crew-7 return to Earth this week
SpaceX Crew-7 aboard the Crew Dragon spacecraft at the start of their mission in August 2023.

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-7 Re-entry and Splashdown

SpaceX’s Crew-7 is preparing to depart the International Space Station (ISS) after a six-and-a-half-month stay aboard the orbital outpost some 250 miles above Earth. NASA will live-stream all of the key moments of the homecoming (full details below).

Read more
NASA, Boeing delay Starliner’s first crewed flight again
Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft.

Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft. Boeing / Boeing

The first crewed test flight of Boeing Space’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft has been delayed yet again, but this time it’s not the result of an issue with the vehicle itself.

Read more
The expansion rate of the universe still has scientists baffled
This image of NGC 5468, a galaxy located about 130 million light-years from Earth, combines data from the Hubble and James Webb space telescopes. This is the most distant galaxy in which Hubble has identified Cepheid variable stars. These are important milepost markers for measuring the expansion rate of the Universe. The distance calculated from Cepheids has been cross-correlated with a Type Ia supernova in the galaxy. Type Ia supernovae are so bright they are used to measure cosmic distances far beyond the range of the Cepheids, extending measurements of the Universe’s expansion rate deeper into space.

The question of how fast the universe is expanding continues to confound scientists. Although it might seem like a fairly straightforward issue, the reality is that it has been perplexing the best minds in physics and astronomy for decades -- and new research using the James Webb Space Telescope and the Hubble Space Telescope doesn't make the answer any clearer.

Scientists know that the universe is expanding over time, but what they can't agree on is the rate at which this is happening -- called the Hubble constant. There are two main methods used to estimate this constant: one that looks at how fast distant galaxies are moving away from us, and one that looks at leftover energy from the Big Bang called the cosmic microwave background. The trouble is, these two methods give different results.

Read more