Investigation Information
IDENTIFIER urn:nasa:pds:context:investigation:mission.new_horizons_kem2::1.0
NAME NEW HORIZONS KUIPER BELT EXTENDED MISSION 2
TYPE Mission
DESCRIPTION
The New Horizons Kuiper Belt Extended Mission (KEM) is a mission to a recently discovered, 
            unexplored region of the solar system, the Kuiper Belt.  The first part (KEM1) included a 
            close flyby of Kuiper Belt Object (KBO) 2014 MU69 (Arrokoth).  This second part (KEM2) 
            continued to survey the Kuiper Belt using New Horizons as an observatory, examining many 
            other Kuiper Belt Objects and Centaurs while studying the Kuiper Belt dust, gas, plasma, 
            and energetic particle environments.  These studies will place both the Pluto system and 
            Arrokoth in better context among KBOs, increasing scientific understanding of both.  New 
            science goals for KEM2 include: new studies in Planetary Science (large-phase angle 
            observations of gas giants), Heliophysics (Lyman-alpha all sky map), and Astrophysics 
            (cosmic optical and ultraviolet background, and distant shock regions).  KEM2 data 
            deliveries also include data taken during KEM1 but not downlinked until KEM2.
START DATE 2022-10-01T12:00:00.000Z
STOP DATE 2024-09-30T12:00:00.000Z
REFERENCES