New Horizons Set to Cross ‘Termination Shock’: What This Epic Journey Beyond Pluto Means for Space Exploration

NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft made history in July 2015 as it became the first and only spacecraft to fly by Pluto. This remarkable mission provided us with our first close-up images of this distant world.

After Pluto, New Horizons continued its journey into the Kuiper Belt, where it encountered the object known as Arrokoth on January 1, 2019. The Kuiper Belt is a distant region of our solar system, home to many icy bodies leftover from the solar system’s formation.

As the mission goes on, New Horizons remains focused on gathering more scientific data from the vastness beyond our solar system.

A recent study by the U.S. National Academies highlighted the importance of the observations made by New Horizons. It stated that missions like New Horizons and Voyager are crucial for learning about our solar system’s outer regions. The study emphasizes that much remains to be discovered as we explore the boundaries where the sun’s influence fades into interstellar space.

Alan Stern, the principal investigator of New Horizons, shared that the mission is preparing to cross a boundary called the “termination shock.” This is where the solar wind slows down and alters as it meets the interstellar medium.

Currently, New Horizons is in hibernation mode, conserving energy. The spacecraft is scheduled to wake up on April 2, after which it will begin transmitting its collected data back to Earth. However, predicting exactly when it will cross the termination shock remains uncertain; it could happen as early as 2027.

Despite being in hibernation, New Horizons is healthy. All its systems, including its scientific instruments, are functioning well. However, it is running low on fuel, which means the team must be careful with how they use it. Fuel conservation is crucial as any spent fuel limits the chances of reaching another Kuiper Belt object.

Stern humorously calls himself the “fuel hoarder in chief” to reflect the careful management needed for the mission. New Horizons is equipped with a stable nuclear power system that could last until 2050, ensuring it can continue to gather data.

To enhance the chances of encountering another Kuiper Belt object, New Horizons will rely on Earth-based observatories like the Vera C. Rubin Observatory, which can help locate objects in its path.

Meanwhile, the helicopter team focusing on heliophysics is preparing for the spacecraft’s next significant milestone. They will conduct first-ever measurements of ‘pickup ions’—a type of ion crucial for understanding energy transfer in space—using instruments onboard New Horizons.

As the mission unfolds, the New Horizons team is excited about potential discoveries. Recent findings show that the Kuiper Belt might be larger and more complex than previously thought.

Looking ahead, the crossing of the termination shock may last only about 10 minutes, but expect multiple crossings over several days, leading to significant data collection. This information will be invaluable for researchers eager to unlock the mysteries of our solar system’s outer edges.

New Horizons has already achieved remarkable feats as the first spacecraft to investigate Pluto and its moons closely, as well as Arrokoth. As the mission nears its 10th anniversary of the Pluto flyby, the team is preparing for a celebration to review all they’ve learned and eagerly anticipate new surprises.