NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft gets up close and personal with Pluto

NASA on Tuesday marked the closest approach by first spacecraft to explore Pluto.

NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft got up close and personal with Pluto on Tuesday, to zoom within 12,500 km of the small icy world left unexplored until now, the Hindu reported.

It’s the final destination on NASA’s planetary tour of the solar system, which began more than a half-century ago. Pluto was still a full-fledged planet when New Horizons rocketed away in 2006, only to become demoted to dwarf status later that year.

The 5-billion-km journey from Cape Canaveral, Florida, culminated on Tuesday at 11.49 a.m. GMT (5.19 p.m. IST). That’s when the spacecraft flew past Pluto at 50,000 kmph.