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NASA’s New Horizons probe resumes operations after 321-day hibernation
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1 min readUpdated 1h ago
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NASA's New Horizons spacecraft has awakened from an 11-month hibernation. Mission teams are now performing health checks to determine if the probe is ready for its next phase of deep-space research.

  • NASA's New Horizons spacecraft successfully transitioned out of a 321-day hibernation mode, as reported by The Register.
  • The probe, originally launched in 2006 to explore the Pluto system, has now resumed full operational status for its ongoing Kuiper Belt mission.
  • Engineers have yet to confirm the status of all onboard scientific instruments or provide a timeline for when the probe will begin transmitting its next set of deep-space data.

NASA's New Horizons probe transitioned out of its 321-day hibernation cycle this week, re-establishing contact with ground control. Unlike its primary Pluto flyby mission, this extended dormancy period serves to conserve power while the probe traverses the sparse Kuiper Belt. However, the exact condition of its aging hardware remains a key variable after nearly a year of inactivity. Whether the spacecraft can maintain its performance for the next phase of its mission depends on the results of ongoing diagnostics currently being conducted by mission teams.

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