NASA's New Horizons spacecraft, launched in 2006 and famously flown by Pluto in 2015, has resumed scientific operations after emerging from a planned hibernation mode.The probe, now 5.9 billion miles from Earth, awakened on June 23, 2026, after entering a dormant state on August 7, 2025.

Engineers at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory confirmed the spacecraft is in excellent condition and transmitting data collected during its long sleep.The mission is now studying the Kuiper Belt, a region of icy trans-Neptunian objects, to understand planetary formation.

New Horizons is analyzing the rotation, orientation, and shape of these bodies, revealing that paired, snowman-shaped objects like Arrokoth are more common than expected.This data could shed light on how planets form from dust and pebbles.Additionally, the probe is measuring gas distribution in the outer heliosphere and cosmic rays, providing insights into solar system shielding.The Venetia Burney Student Dust Counter also detected unexpected dust levels beyond the Kuiper Belt, challenging existing models.This mission continues to expand our knowledge of the solar system's outer regions.