Today’s planned launch of an Atlas V carrying NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft has been scrubbed. The next launch date and time will be announced shortly. Stay tuned for further information.

The first 13 months of the mission include spacecraft and instrument checkouts, instrument calibrations and trajectory correction maneuvers. There will also be rehearsals for an encounter with Jupiter in spring 2007, in which the giant planet will provide a slingshot-like gravity boost that could save New Horizons up to three years of flight time. This encounter will be followed by an approximately 8-year interplanetary cruise to Pluto.

You can find more information on New Horizons Probe at Nasa and on Konquest Online.

January 17th, 2006 | General Science