New Horizons had a long, exciting journey to reach Pluto. π
After launching, it traveled through the asteroid belt and even flew by Jupiter in 2007! π
At Jupiter, it got a boost of energy called a gravity assist, which helped it go faster towards Pluto. It took 9 years and covered about 3 billion miles! Just imagine driving around the Earth more than 120,000 times! π
Throughout its journey, New Horizons sent back pictures and
information, telling scientists about the space it was traveling through. It became a brave explorer in the dark, vast universe!