station) and ion thruster.Geoffrey A. Landis. Laser-powered Interstellar Probe on the Geoffrey A. Landis: Science. papers available on the web Trans-Neptunian probes at precursor distances In the early 2000s many new, relatively large planetary bodies were found beyond Pluto, and with orbits extending hundreds of AU out past the heliosheath (90–1000 AU). The NASA probe New Horizons'' may explore this area now that it has performed its Pluto flyby in 2015 (Pluto's orbit ranges from about 29–49 AU). Some of these large objects past Pluto include 136199 , 136108 , 136472 , and 90377 Sedna. Sedna comes as close as 76 AU, but travels out as far as 961 AU at aphelion, and minor planet goes out past 1060 AU at aphelion. Bodies like these affect how the Solar System is understood, and traverse an area previously only in the domain of interstellar missions or precursor probes. After the discoveries, the area is also in the domain of interplanetary probes; some of the discovered bodies may become targets for exploration missions, an example of which is preliminary work on a probe to Haumea and its moons (at 35–51 AU). Probe mass, power source, and propulsion systems are key technology areas for this type of mission. In addition, a probe beyond 550 AU could use the Sun itself as a gravitational lens to observe targets outside the Solar System, such as planetary systems around other nearby stars, although many challenges to this mission have been noted. Interstellar messages See also Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX), space observatory that measured energetic neutral atoms from interstellar boundary. List of artificial objects leaving the Solar System List of nearest stars and brown dwarfs Local Interstellar Cloud and Local Bubble Interplanetary spaceflight Interstellar travel Intergalactic travel References Further reading NASA's Interstellar Probe Mission (1999) (.pdf) An Interstellar Probe Mission to the Boundaries of the Heliosphere and Nearby Interstellar Space(.pdf) Leonard David - Reaching for interstellar flight (2003) - MSNBC (MSNBC Webpage) Ralph L. McNutt, et al. - A Realistic Interstellar Explorer (2000) - Johns Hopkins University (.pdf) Ralph L. McNutt, et al. - Interstellar Explorer (2002) - Johns Hopkins University (.pdf) McNutt, et al. - Radioisotope Electric Propulsion (2006) - NASA Glenn Research Center (includes Centaur orbiter mission) Scott W. Benson - Solar Power for Outer Planets Study (2007) - NASA Glenn Research Center (with SEP booster) External links Spacecraft escaping the Solar System List of