NASA New Horizons wakes from record 321-day hibernation

NASA's New Horizons spacecraft has successfully emerged from its longest hibernation period to date, lasting 321 days. Engineers at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory confirmed the probe is safe as of June 23, 2026.

Currently located approximately 9.5 billion kilometers (5.9 billion miles) from Earth, the distance causes a communication delay of nearly nine hours for signals to travel one way. The status confirmation was received via a NASA Deep Space Network station near Madrid, Spain.

The hibernation, which began on August 7, 2025, was a programmed measure designed to conserve resources and reduce equipment wear during long transit phases. Despite the dormancy, three scientific instruments remained active to monitor plasma, energetic particles, and space dust, storing data on board for later transmission.