Pluto probe blasts off for mission to last outpost

A PIANO-SIZED spacecraft tonight blasted off on a 3-billion mile journey to study Pluto, the solar system’s last unexplored planet.

The New Horizons probe will also examine a mysterious zone of icy objects at the outer edges of the planetary system.

The probe lifted off from the Cape Canaveral air force station at 7pm, quickly reaching speeds as it pushed away from Earth of 36,000mph, which is nearly 100 times faster than a jetliner.