The spacecraft is in the midst of taking “hundreds” of images and science measurements, “about half” of them programmed for the day that surrounds closest approach to Pluto at 7:49:57 a.m. EDT, according to Leslie Young, the deputy project scientist and Pluto-encounter planning lead.

The concept for low-energy planetary entry is described as similar to “throwing an air mattress into the atmosphere.”

When massive Stratolaunch program begins to wind down, Scaled Composites promises a return to the Rutan days of smaller, fast-paced projects that result in flight testing of aviation breakthroughs.

With Proton and Falcon 9 sidelined and Ariane 5 booked into 2017, commercial fleet operators question how much longer the status quo can continue.

Scientists hope the New Horizons Pluto probe will turn a lifetime of preparation into a once-in-a-lifetime glimpse of the most remote object ever visited by humans.

Scientists involved in exploration of the Pluto system have to take the long view, after waiting almost a decade just to get there.

The spacecraft is fitted out with a payload package of small but powerful instruments, which will have one quick shot to do their job before flying past Pluto.

Failure of the SpaceX Falcon 9 cargo mission is a setback for the company, though the severity of the consequences has yet to be determined.