How did the New Horizons spacecraft explore Pluto and the Kuiper belt?

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Kuiper belt binary object — Kuiper belt An artist's rendition of a binary object in the Kuiper belt. The two objects depicted orbit each other at the edge of the solar system.

The New Horizons spacecraft explored the Pluto system and the Kuiper belt through high-speed flybys. Launched in 2006, the probe utilized a gravitational boost from Jupiter in 2007 to reach the outer solar system.1

In July 2015, New Horizons conducted a detailed study of the Pluto-Charon system. Beginning five months prior to its closest approach, the spacecraft’s onboard instruments analyzed the atmospheres and surfaces of both bodies. Key findings included the identification of a heart-shaped region of ice on Pluto, water-ice mountains, and evidence of atmospheric material transferring to Charon’s north pole. It also observed that Pluto’s four smaller moons rotate at unusually high speeds.1

Following the Pluto encounter, the mission continued into the Kuiper belt. On January 1, 2019, the spacecraft performed a flyby of the object Arrokoth. Observations revealed that Arrokoth is a contact binary, formed by the merger of two separate Kuiper belt objects.1