New Horizons Mission Sparks Controversy with Change of Plans
NASA's New Horizons spacecraft, which provided the first up-close views of Pluto in 2015, was set to study objects in the Kuiper belt, but recent notes from a meeting revealed that NASA plans to redirect the spacecraft to focus on heliospheric science in 2025. While New Horizons' remaining life would be better spent making valuable astrophysics and heliophysics observations, some attendees questioned the logic of changing the craft's mission this late in the game. Despite this, New Horizons has already exceeded its original mission and will be regarded as one of the most successful interplanetary probes ever launched.