Status: Under Study
Planned launch date: 2004
Projected Mission Summary: Two highly miniturized spacecraft would be shot to the Pluto/Charon system to conduct reconnaissance on the only major planet that hasn't yet been visted by a spacecraft. The flybys will be timed so that each probe will capture data from opposite hemispheres. Afterwards, the spacecraft will be retargeted to survey icy bodies in the Kuiper Belt. Mission planners hope call for launch when this technology is ready, with a goal of reaching Pluto around 2012 to 2016, depending on probe mass and the type of launch vehicle.
Back to Space Program Metanode