End of the longest hibernation period
NASA's New Horizons, the probe that flew past Pluto in 2015, has completed its longest hibernation to date, lasting close to twelve months. All onboard systems have returned to nominal performance.
Getting ready for Kuiper Belt operations
With the spacecraft now awake, its scientific instruments are being powered up to conduct observations in the remote Kuiper Belt, a region located billions of kilometres beyond Pluto.
Communication and data downlink
The high‑gain antenna has re‑established lock, allowing the first telemetry packets to be sent to Earth in the coming weeks. Researchers anticipate measurements of surface properties, tenuous atmospheres and dust environments of distant Kuiper objects.
Implications for deep‑space missions
The successful reactivation demonstrates the durability of long‑duration spacecraft and provides valuable experience for future explorations of the outer Solar System.