--- title: NASA Spacecraft New Horizons Crosses Neptune Orbit on Way to Pluto description: The New Horizons spacecraft is on its way to Pluto canonical: https://time.com/3176517/nasa-spacecraft-reaches-neptune-on-its-way-to-pluto/ author: Alexandra Sifferlin article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-08-25T18:56:43.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T08:05:32.424Z article:section: Science og:title: NASA Spacecraft Crosses Neptune Orbit on Way to Pluto og:description: The New Horizons spacecraft is on its way to Pluto og:url: https://time.com/3176517/nasa-spacecraft-reaches-neptune-on-its-way-to-pluto/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltdb6c794e00e1cb54/6986a0bf361760a35d90d967/voyager-2-space-nasa10.jpg?branch=production&width=640&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 640 og:image:height: 360 og:image:alt: voyager-2-space-nasa10 og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: NASA Spacecraft Crosses Neptune Orbit on Way to Pluto twitter:description: The New Horizons spacecraft is on its way to Pluto twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltdb6c794e00e1cb54/6986a0bf361760a35d90d967/voyager-2-space-nasa10.jpg?branch=production&width=640&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # NASA Spacecraft Reaches Neptune on Its Way to Pluto > Sponsored content. 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It reaches 40,000 subscribers with a 34.2% open rate and a 2.1% click rate as of August 2026. #### Where can I follow the energy transition as a business story? Future Proof covers climate and energy as an economic and business story rather than only an environmental one. It publishes every Friday and is free at time.com/newsletters. #### Who writes Future Proof? Justin Worland, a senior correspondent at TIME and an award-winning climate journalist, writes Future Proof. #### Is Future Proof free? Yes. Future Proof is free at time.com/newsletters. ## Video: Phone Home: NASA's Call Center [Watch (HLS stream): Phone Home: NASA's Call Center](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/uGQRvwuW.m3u8) (3:48)  _Published 2014-01-08. NASA has been communicating with astronauts and spacecraft via the Deep Space Network for over 50 years._ by [Alexandra Sifferlin](https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) ## Alexandra Sifferlin Aug 25, 2014 6:56 PM UTC  A color image of Neptune's Great Dark Spot, accompanied by white high-altitude clouds taken from the Voyager 2 spacecraft. A color image of Neptune's Great Dark Spot, accompanied by white high-altitude clouds taken from the Voyager 2 spacecraft. NASA by [Alexandra Sifferlin](https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) ## Alexandra Sifferlin Aug 25, 2014 6:56 PM UTC NASA’s Pluto-bound spacecraft has reached Neptune, officials said Monday. Passing through Neptune’s orbit is the last major crossing before the spacecraft, New Horizons, reaches its intended destination of Pluto. New Horizons is scheduled to be near Pluto on July 14, 2015\. In a coincidence of timing, the spacecraft’s crossing through Neptune’s orbit has occurred on the exact same day NASA’s Voyager 2 encountered Neptune 25 years ago. “It’s a cosmic coincidence that connects one of NASA’s iconic past outer solar system explorers, with our next outer solar system explorer,” Jim Green, director of NASA’s Planetary Science Division, said in a statement. “Exactly 25 years ago at Neptune, Voyager 2 delivered our ‘first’ look at an unexplored planet. Now it will be New Horizons’ turn to reveal the unexplored Pluto and its moons in stunning detail next summer on its way into the vast outer reaches of the solar system.” New Horizons is the size of a piano and launched in January 2006\. It reached Neptune’s orbit in a record of eight years and eight months. 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