NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft is about to reach Pluto after 9 years

Nearly nine years ago, NASA sent its ​New Horizons spacecraft to Pluto. On Saturday, after all that time in transit, it will come out of hibernation for the last time as it finally approaches what was, at the time of the launch, the furthest planet in our solar system. Throughout the journey, New Horizons has sent weekly pings back to Earth to let the team know it was still alive, as it was in hibernation for most of the trip. Earlier this week, New Horizons sent its last ping ahead of Saturday’s wake up.