Editing Classical Kuiper belt object (section)

== Exploration ==
[[File:2014 MU69 orbit.jpg|thumb|New Horizons trajectory and the orbits of Pluto and 486958 Arrokoth]]

As of January 2019, only one classical Kuiper belt object has been observed up close by spacecraft. Both [[Voyager program|Voyager spacecraft]] have passed through the region before the discovery of the Kuiper belt.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://pluto.jhuapl.edu/News-Center/PI-Perspectives.php?page=piPerspective_02_28_2018 |title=The PI's Perspective: Why Didn't Voyager Explore the Kuiper Belt? |date=28 February 2018 |first=Alan |last=Stern |access-date=13 March 2018}}</ref> [[New Horizons]] was the first mission to visit a classical KBO. After its successful exploration of the [[Pluto]] system in 2015, the [[NASA]] spacecraft has visited the small KBO 486958 Arrokoth at a distance of {{convert|3500|km|mi}} on 1&nbsp;January 2019.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.planetary.org/blogs/emily-lakdawalla/2018/0124-new-horizons-prepares-for-2014mu69.html |title=New Horizons prepares for encounter with 2014&nbsp;MU69 |first=Emily |last=Lakdawalla |publisher=Planetary Society |date=24 January 2018 |access-date=13 March 2018}}</ref>