NASA's New Horizons wakes after longest 321-day hibernation beyond Pluto

Technology Jul 18, 2026

NASA's New Horizons spacecraft just woke up after a 321-day sleep (its longest hibernation ever) while cruising 5.9 billion miles from Earth.

Even while napping, it kept gathering science data, making the most of its time far beyond Pluto.

NASA engineers retrieve New Horizons data

Because it's so far away, signals between Earth and New Horizons take nine hours each way.

Now that it's awake, engineers are checking on its health and collecting all the data stored during hibernation.

NASA is also updating its software to help the spacecraft handle even longer delays and low power as it travels deeper into the Kuiper Belt, a mysterious region full of distant worlds waiting to be explored.