Pluto is about two-thirds the diameter of the moon. And the dwarf planet is very far away at a distance of five billion kilometers. However, he had already been visited by a spaceship. Almost exactly six years ago to that day, the “New Horizons” passed by Pluto. The image of the large heart-shaped deck structure will not be forgotten.
New Horizons failed to enter Pluto’s orbit. Braking maneuvers use far more fuel than the probe can handle. So it flew past Pluto at high speed and then past Arrokoth’s icy body. The probe is now about 7.5 billion kilometers from the Sun — and so far beyond the region of Pluto’s highly elliptical orbit.
The 30 -kilometer -long Arrokoth object is New Horizons’ (NASA) second destination
So far, New Horizons has left Pluto forever — and the probe is gradually leaving the planetary system as one of five missions. The other two probes, Pioneer and two Voyagers, are further apart: 16-23 billion kilometers separate them from the Sun and Earth.
The nuclear battery on New Horizons is likely to provide enough power for wireless communication with Earth by the late 2030s. Then the spacecraft fell silent, but was on its way to new heights in the vastness of the Milky Way.
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