NASA's New Horizons mission is set to continue its exploration of the outer solar system, with a focus on gathering heliophysics data and exploring the Kuiper Belt. The mission has been extended until 2028-2029, when the spacecraft is expected to exit the Kuiper Belt.
Beginning in fiscal year 2025, New Horizons will prioritize collecting unique heliophysics data during a low-activity mode. This approach will also conserve fuel and reduce operational complexity while the team searches for potential flyby candidates in the Kuiper Belt. While no reachable Kuiper Belt object is currently known, this plan allows for a future close flyby if one is identified.
The extended mission is primarily funded by NASA's Planetary Science Division and jointly managed by the Heliophysics and Planetary Science Divisions. Launched in 2006, New Horizons has already explored Pluto and the Kuiper Belt object Arrokoth, contributing significantly to our understanding of the outer solar system.
The Progress in Understanding the Pluto System: 10 Years after Flyby meeting is scheduled for July 14–18, 2025, at the Kossiakoff Conference Center located at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland.
The mission's extended operations promise to further our knowledge of the heliosphere and the Kuiper Belt, maximizing the scientific return from this deep-space mission.