According to reports, NASA has set the next goal for New Horizons, the spacecraft that captured astonishing images of Pluto in July. Now, mission scientists are looking forward to study a small object 2014 MU69. The object has been dubbed as "PT1" for "Potential Target 1".

As per reports, PT1 orbits approximately a billion miles beyond Pluto in a part of space called as the Kuiper Belt. It is similar to a huge frozen sample of the early solar system, for the reason that it is distant from heat of the sun.

As per New Horizons principal investigator Alan Stern, PT1 is a very good choice for the reason that it uses less fuel for reaching than other possible goals. He added that it will leave more fuel for ancillary science, for the flyby and greater fuel reserves for protecting against the unexpected things and events.

However, the scientists managing the mission will have to talk to NASA in order to provide more money. It is expected that the team will be sending in a budget proposal in 2016, prior to the probe begins its new mission.

At present, New Horizons is nearly 33.7 million miles (54.2 million km) beyond Pluto. It is still returning data collected during the encounter; however, website of the probe says that it is "on a bit of a post-flyby break, currently sending back lower data-rate information collected by the energetic particle, solar wind and space dust instruments. It will resume sending flyby images and other data in early September".

As per reports, if it gets the approval for the extended mission, New Horizons could arrive at PT1 by January 1, 2019. It has been estimated by researchers that PT1 is nearly 28 miles (approximately 45 kilometers) across. They also believe that it is 10 times bigger and 1,000 times huger than a typical comet.