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The Voyager Probes and Exploration Beyond the Solar System

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Launch background: the planetary Grand Tour

Voyager 2 launched on August 20, 1977, and Voyager 1 on September 5 the same year. The mission took advantage of a rare alignment of the outer gas-giant planets β€” one that occurs only once every 176 years β€” allowing a single probe to fly past several planets in sequence.

Jupiter and Saturn flyby results

Both probes flew close by Jupiter and Saturn, sending back detailed images and data on their moons and rings β€” and in the process discovered active volcanoes on Jupiter's moon Io, the first confirmed active volcanoes found anywhere beyond Earth.

Voyager 2's Uranus and Neptune flybys

Voyager 2 flew past Uranus in 1986 and Neptune in 1989, and remains to this day the only probe ever to have explored either planet up close.

The Golden Record

Both probes carry a gold-plated phonograph record called the Golden Record, created to introduce Earth to any intelligent extraterrestrial life that might find it β€” containing natural sounds of Earth, music from many cultures, and greetings in 55 languages.

Entering interstellar space

Voyager 1 crossed the heliopause into interstellar space in August 2012, and Voyager 2 followed in November 2018. This made the two probes the first human-made objects ever to leave the solar system and reach interstellar space.

Current position and communication delay

As of 2026, Voyager 1 is roughly 25.5 billion km (about 170 AU) from Earth, traveling at about 17 km/s, and it takes about 23 hours for its signal to reach Earth. Around November of that year, it's expected to reach a distance of one light-day from Earth (about 25.9 billion km).

Declining power and the outlook for mission end

Both probes run on radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTGs), which convert the heat from decaying plutonium into electricity β€” but output declines slightly every year, so NASA has been shutting down instruments one by one to keep the mission going. Mission teams expect communication with Earth to become increasingly difficult sometime between the late 2020s and mid-2030s.

Nearly 50 years of flight

Launched in 1977, Voyager 1 and 2 were originally planned to explore only Jupiter and Saturn, but their mission was extended to cover the outer planets and interstellar space as well. They remain the farthest-traveled human-made objects to this day.

A very different way of exploring the solar system than Mars missions

Where Voyager explored the outer planets by flying past them, Mars exploration typically involves rovers that land and stay for extended periods. Comparing the two approaches is a natural next topic if you're curious about Mars exploration history.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are the Voyager probes still communicating with Earth?

Yes β€” as of 2026, some science instruments are still sending back data, but as power continues to decline, NASA has been switching off remaining instruments one at a time to extend the mission.

Who could actually play the Golden Record?

The Golden Record includes a diagram explaining how to play it, so it was designed to be playable, in principle, by any extraterrestrial civilization advanced enough to find and decode it.