- NASA's New Horizons spacecraft recently awoke from a 321-day hibernation period on June 23, six billion miles from Earth.
- The probe, which was the first to explore Pluto up close, is currently traveling through the outer reaches of our solar system, including the distant Kuiper asteroid belt.
- Scientists are eager to retrieve data collected during its hibernation, hoping it will provide insights into the universe's formation.
- The spacecraft reported being in good health upon waking, and its team will soon downlink health data before retrieving information from its three science instruments.
- New Horizons, launched in 2006, previously explored Pluto in 2015 and the Kuiper Belt object Arrokoth in 2019, and is expected to continue its mission through the end of the decade.
IN FULL
A NASA satellite just woke up from hibernation in deep space. Here is what it can tell us
