AI Image
Voyager 1 probe to hit historic one light-day distance from Earth in 17 days - 49-year-old spacecraft travels 16 billion miles
Yahoo Tech • • science
Key Points:
- Voyager 1, launched nearly 50 years ago for a five-year mission, will become the most distant human-made object by reaching one light-day from Earth on November 18, 2026.
- One light-day equals about 16 billion miles (26 billion kilometers), far surpassing distances like that to the Moon or the Sun.
- Traveling at roughly 37,844 mph, Voyager 1 has taken over 49 years to reach this milestone, demonstrating its extended operational lifespan well beyond the original mission plan.
- Despite challenges such as a critical memory error in 2024 and decreasing power levels, NASA expects Voyager 1 to continue functioning until the 2030s, powered by its radioisotope thermoelectric generators.
- Voyager 1 is currently heading toward the star Gliese 445 in the Ursa Minor constellation, but at its current speed, it will take over 300,000 years to reach within 1.7 light-years of that star.
