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Bruce Murray Space Image Library

Artist's Concept of Kuiper Belt Object Encounter

Artist's Concept of Kuiper Belt Object Encounter
Artist's Concept of Kuiper Belt Object Encounter Artist's impression of the New Horizons spacecraft encountering a Kuiper Belt Object, as part of a potential extended mission after the Pluto flyby. In 2014, using the Hubble Space Telescope, New Horizons science team members discovered three KBOs - all in the range of 20-55 kilometers across, and all with possible flyby dates in late 2018 or in 2019 - a billion miles beyond Pluto. Any extended mission would require NASA approval. Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Southwest Research Institute (JHUAPL/SwRI)