When to use New Horizons Pluto Flyby 3D Explorer
Use this explorer when you want to show how a single spacecraft can reach two real destinations nine years apart on one continuous trajectory, using a planet's gravity instead of extra fuel.
- Teaching how a Jupiter gravity assist bends and speeds up a spacecraft with no extra fuel
- Explaining the difference between a primary mission (Pluto) and an extended mission (Arrokoth)
- Showing why the 2015 Pluto flyby and the 2019 Arrokoth flyby are two moments on the same trajectory
This is an educational trajectory approximation, not a precomputed ephemeris.
Walk the controls in the step-by-step guide, or compare options in vs alternatives. Open the New Horizons Pluto Flyby 3D Explorer.
Companion guide for the New Horizons Pluto Flyby 3D Explorer. This page sits alongside the step-by-step walkthrough and the comparison against alternatives, so you can move between timing guidance, control instructions, and the numbers table without leaving the guide set.
The explorer itself runs entirely client-side in the browser with the vendored three.js engine - no account, no install, and no scene data leaves your device. For the wider picture, the Space 3D collection also has a Pluto-Charon Double Planet explorer and a Kuiper Belt and Oort Cloud explorer.
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