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2d ago

White House Budget Plan Could Cut Short New Horizons’ Kuiper Belt Exploration

The proposal would reduce NASA’s planetary science funding by nearly a third, forcing an early deactivation despite New Horizons’ remaining fuel and research potential.

©NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Southwest Research Institute/Alex Parker
What We Saw When NASA Sent A Probe To Explore The Kuiper Belt Object Arrokoth
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Overview

  • The White House’s May budget proposal would slash NASA’s total funding by $6 billion and trim the planetary science budget from $2.7 billion to $1.9 billion, endangering New Horizons.
  • Launched in 2006, New Horizons flew past Pluto in 2015 and Arrokoth in 2019, securing an extension through 2029 to probe the outer solar system.
  • The spacecraft retains enough fuel for at least one more Kuiper Belt object flyby but could be powered down prematurely if the cuts are approved.
  • Mission teams are actively scouting for a new Kuiper Belt target to maximize New Horizons’ unique vantage point beyond Pluto.
  • New Horizons narrowly escaped cancellation in 2002 through congressional action, highlighting recurring funding vulnerabilities for long-duration space missions.