Clouds part as NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft roars into the blue sky after an on-time liftoff on January 19, 2006, at 2 Eastern Standard Time aboard an Atlas V rocket from Complex 41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. This was the third launch attempt in as many days after scrubs due to weather concerns. The compact, 1,050-pound piano-sized probe got a boost from a kick-stage solid propellant motor for its journey to Pluto. New Horizons was the fastest spacecraft ever launched, reaching lunar orbit distance in just nine hours and passing Jupiter 13 months later. The New Hori

---

Size: 3008px × 2000px
Photo credit: © Space collection / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: acceleration, america, beginning, blast, ccafs, florida, horizons, horizontal, journey, launch, launching, lc-41, lift, pluto, rocket, start, states, united, usa