NEW HORIZONS 2014MU(69) (ULTIMA THULE) FLYBY DESIGN AND EXECUTION

Since the encounter with the Pluto system in 2015, the New Horizons team had been preparing for a flyby of the Kuiper Belt Object 2014MU69 (Ultima Thule). This paper discusses how the team designed and executed the flyby encounter within the various constraints imposed after the Pluto flyby. In addition to a brief overview of key spacecraft subsystems, this paper describes how the design needed to accommodate for large uncertainties in the target's position while minimizing image smear during science observations. The resource management, maneuver planning, and power and data downlink constraint management details are also explained.