NASA ’ s New Horizons spacecraft observed ( 15810 ) 1994 JR _ { 1 } , a 3:2 resonant Kupier Belt Object ( KBO ) , using the LOng Range Reconnaissance Imager ( LORRI ) on November 2 , 2015 from a distance of 1.85 AU , and again on April 7 , 2016 from a distance of 0.71 AU . These were the first close observations of any KBO other than Pluto . Combining ground-based and Hubble Space Telecope ( HST ) observations at small phase angles and the LORRI observations at higher phase angles , we produced the first disk-integrated solar phase curve of a typical KBO from \alpha =0.6-58 ^ { \circ } . Observations at these geometries , attainable only from a spacecraft in the outer Solar System , constrain surface properties such as macroscopic roughness and the single particle phase function . 1994 JR _ { 1 } has a rough surface with a 37 \pm 5 ^ { \circ } mean topographic slope angle and has a relatively rapid rotation period of 5.47 \pm 0.33 hours . 1994 JR _ { 1 } is currently 2.7 AU from Pluto ; our astrometric points enable high-precision orbit determination and integrations which show that it comes this close to Pluto every 2.4 million years ( 10 ^ { 4 } heliocentric orbits ) , causing Pluto to perturb 1994 JR _ { 1 } . During the November spacecraft observation , the KBO was simultaneously observed using HST in two colors , confirming its very red spectral slope . These observations have laid the groundwork for numerous potential future distant KBO observations in the New Horizons-Kuiper Belt Extended Mission .