timeline

The New Horizons mission timeline was carefully devised so as to minimize travel time to Pluto. The fastest way to get to Pluto was to determine a route that took the spacecraft past Jupiter. The spacecraft would then receive a gravitational assist from Jupiter that would serve to “slingshot” it out to Pluto and beyond.

June 8, 2001: New Horizons mission approved by NASA

January 19, 2006: Launch of the New Horizons spacecraft

April 7, 2006: Mars orbit crossed

June 13, 2006: Flyby of asteroid 132524 APL

February 28, 2007: Jupiter flyby and gravitational assist

June 27, 2007: Spacecraft enters into sleep mode / hibernation

June 8, 2008: Saturn orbit crossed

February 25, 2010: Halfway point in distance between Earth and Pluto is reached

October 15, 2010: Halfway point in travel time between Earth and Pluto is reached

March 18, 2011: Uranus orbit crossed

August 25, 2014: Neptune orbit crossed

December 6, 2014: Spacecraft wakes up from sleep mode / hibernation

July 14, 2015: Closest approach to Pluto and its moons ( Accomplished)

Summer 2015: Final selection of KBO candidate(s)

Fall 2015: Final engine burn to reach KBO candidate(s)

Mid-2018–mid-2019: Flyby of KBO candidate(s)

2026: End of mission

2038: 100 AU from Sun – if still operating, explores the outer heliosphere