[meteorite-list] New Horizons Receives Mission Extension to Kuiper Belt, Dawn to Remain at Ceres

[Ron Baalke]

http://www.nasa.gov/feature/new-horizons-receives-mission-extension-to-kuiper-belt-dawn-to-remain-at-ceres

New Horizons Receives Mission Extension to Kuiper Belt, Dawn to Remain at Ceres

Following its historic first-ever flyby of Pluto, NASA's New Horizons 
mission has received the green light to fly onward to an object deeper 
in the Kuiper Belt, known as 2014 MU69. The spacecraft's planned rendezvous 
with the ancient object - considered one of the early building blocks 
of the solar system -- is Jan. 1, 2019.

"The New Horizons mission to Pluto exceeded our expectations and even 
today the data from the spacecraft continue to surprise," said NASA's 
Director of Planetary Science Jim Green. "We're excited to continue 
onward into the dark depths of the outer solar system to a science target 
that wasn't even discovered when the spacecraft launched."

Based upon the 2016 Planetary Mission Senior Review Panel report, NASA 
this week directed nine extended missions to plan for continued operations 
through fiscal years 2017 and 2018.  Final decisions on mission extensions 
are contingent on the outcome of the annual budget process.

In addition to the extension of the New Horizons mission, NASA determined 
that the Dawn spacecraft should remain at the dwarf planet Ceres, rather 
than changing course to the main belt asteroid Adeona.

Green noted that NASA relies on the scientific assessment by the Senior 
Review Panel in making its decision on which extended mission option to 
approve. "The long-term monitoring of Ceres, particularly as it gets 
closer to perihelion - the part of its orbit with the shortest distance 
to the sun -- has the potential to provide more significant science discoveries 
than a flyby of Adeona," he said.

Also receiving NASA approval for mission extensions, contingent on available 
resources, are: the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO), Mars Atmosphere 
and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN), the Opportunity and Curiosity Mars rovers, 
the Mars Odyssey orbiter, the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), and 
NASA's support for the European Space Agency's Mars Express mission.

Dwayne Brown / Laurie Cantillo
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1726 / 202-358-1077
dwayne.c.brown at nasa.gov / laura.l.cantillo at nasa.gov