of the Minotaur IV+ launch vehicle. A Star 48B motor used in the 3rd stage of the New Horizons probe was the first part of the New Horizons mission to reach Jupiter, crossing Pluto's orbit in 2015 at a distance of 200 million kilometers. It is now set to leave the Solar System, travelling on a similar interstellar trajectory to its companion probe for the indefinite future. In 2013 a Star 48GXV was tested for the Parker Solar Probe mission as the upper stage on an Atlas V 551 vehicle, but the development was cancelled, in favor of a Delta IV Heavy / Star 48BV combination. References Star 37 motors External links Astronautix - Star 27 Solid Propellant Rocket Fundamentals (Pages 417-418) Rocket stages Solid-fuel rockets Alliant Techsystems