In the context of space missions, what role did New Horizons play concerning Arrokoth?

New Horizons played a significant role in advancing our understanding of Arrokoth by visiting the celestial object and collecting data from it. Launched in 2006, New Horizons is primarily known for its historic flyby of Pluto in 2015, but it continued on to explore other distant objects in the Kuiper Belt, including Arrokoth, which is also referred to as 2014 MU69.

The mission's close approach to Arrokoth in January 2019 allowed the spacecraft to gather a wealth of information about this early building block of the solar system. During the flyby, New Horizons captured images and collected data on the shape, size, and rough surface features of Arrokoth, providing insights into its geology and color.

This data collection is crucial as it helps scientists piece together the history and evolution of the solar system. The flyby provided unprecedented close-up views, enabling the analysis of its characteristics that could not have been achieved otherwise, thus highlighting the exploration aspect of the mission.