Toggle the primary Pluto flyby path against the extended Arrokoth flyby path, then scrub the phase slider to fly New Horizons from launch through the Jupiter gravity assist to closest approach.
New Horizons launched in 2006, used a Jupiter gravity assist in 2007, and reached Pluto on 2015-07-14 at a minimum distance of about 12,500 km. The extended mission then flew past the Kuiper Belt object Arrokoth on 2019-01-01 at about 3,538 km.
Drag to orbit and scroll or pinch to zoom. Switch flyby modes, press Play or Pause, or drag the phase slider from launch through the Jupiter assist to closest approach.
New Horizons Pluto Flyby 3D Explorer
This browser explorer flies the real NASA New Horizons trajectory: launch, a Jupiter gravity assist, closest approach to Pluto in 2015, and the extended-mission flyby of the Kuiper Belt object Arrokoth in 2019.
New Horizons launched on 2006-01-19 and left Earth faster than any human-made object launched before it, at an escape velocity of about 16.26 km/s. A Jupiter gravity assist on 2007-02-28 bent and sped up the trajectory toward Pluto without spending fuel. On 2015-07-14 at 11:49 UTC the spacecraft passed within about 12,500 km of Pluto's surface at a relative speed of about 13.78 km/s (about 49,600 km/h) - the first close look at Pluto in history.
The primary mission ended at Pluto, but NASA extended New Horizons deeper into the Kuiper Belt. On 2019-01-01 the spacecraft passed Arrokoth (formally 2014 MU69) at a closest-approach distance of about 3,538 km, returning the most detailed images yet of a primitive, unheated building block left over from planet formation.
- Toggle between the primary Pluto-flyby path and the extended path that continues to Arrokoth
- Scrub phase from launch through the Jupiter gravity assist to closest approach
- Read published NASA figures for launch speed, flyby dates, and closest-approach distances
- Drag to orbit the camera, scroll or pinch to zoom
- Runs fully in the browser with the vendored three.js engine - no account, no upload
Space-mission and astronomy learners use the toggle to see how one spacecraft can serve two real destinations nine years apart on a single continuous trajectory, without turning around or refueling.
| Figure | Published value |
|---|---|
| Launch | 2006-01-19 (fastest human-made object launched at the time) |
| Earth-escape velocity | about 16.26 km/s |
| Jupiter gravity-assist flyby | 2007-02-28 |
| Pluto closest approach | 2015-07-14 11:49 UTC, about 12,500 km from the surface |
| Pluto flyby relative speed | about 13.78 km/s (about 49,600 km/h) |
| Arrokoth closest approach | 2019-01-01, about 3,538 km |
For the physical double-planet dynamics of Pluto and its largest moon rather than the spacecraft's path, see the Pluto-Charon Double Planet Explorer. For the wider region Arrokoth sits in, see the Kuiper Belt and Oort Cloud Explorer.
Everything renders on your device with WebGL. The 3D engine loads once (about 0.7 MB) and is cached; no scene data is sent to a server.
This is an educational approximation, not a precomputed ephemeris or a physics engine - on-screen distances and body sizes are compressed for readability, while the table holds the real published NASA figures.
Frequently Asked Questions
When did New Horizons reach Pluto?
New Horizons made its closest approach to Pluto on 2015-07-14 at 11:49 UTC, passing about 12,500 km from the surface at a relative speed of about 13.78 km/s.
What is Arrokoth and why did New Horizons fly past it too?
Arrokoth (2014 MU69) is a small Kuiper Belt object. NASA extended the New Horizons mission to fly past it on 2019-01-01 at about 3,538 km, using leftover fuel from the same trajectory that carried the spacecraft past Pluto.
Why did New Horizons fly past Jupiter first?
The 2007-02-28 Jupiter flyby was a gravity assist: Jupiter's gravity bent and sped up the spacecraft toward Pluto without using extra fuel, shortening the trip.
How is this different from the Pluto-Charon Double Planet explorer?
This page follows the New Horizons spacecraft's real flight path. The Pluto-Charon Double Planet explorer instead shows the physical barycenter dynamics between Pluto and its largest moon, with no spacecraft involved.
Are the on-screen distances to scale?
No. The Sun-Jupiter-Pluto-Arrokoth path is compressed so the whole trajectory fits one screen. The facts table lists the real published dates, speeds, and closest-approach distances.
Does this page simulate the spacecraft's physics?
No. It is an educational trajectory explorer using published NASA figures, not a precomputed ephemeris or a gravity-integrating physics engine.