Which space mission has studied the most distant object ever visited up close?
Quick Answer
New Horizons visited the Kuiper Belt object Arrokoth in 2019, the most distant world ever explored up close. Arrokoth lies in the Kuiper Belt beyond Pluto.
The Full Story
NASA’s New Horizons mission made the most distant close flyby ever when it passed Arrokoth on 1 January 2019. Arrokoth is a small Kuiper Belt object located far beyond Pluto, making it the most remote world visited up close by any spacecraft at that time. The encounter gave scientists a rare look at a primordial body that has changed little since the Solar System formed. New Horizons had previously transformed our view of Pluto in 2015 before continuing outward. The Arrokoth flyby showed the power of long-range planetary missions.
Key Facts
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"A spacecraft reached a world so far away it’s almost in interstellar territory."