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30th Anniversary of The Planetary Society
  

Space Topics

Voyager


Together, Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 -- twin probes launched on September 5, 1977 and August 20, 1977 -- represent the most successful planetary exploration mission of all time. In their flybys of all the outer planets except Pluto, and dozens of other planetary bodies, the Voyagers set the benchmark in planetary exploration on an undertaking that has come to be deemed as one of NASA's greatest triumphs.

Find out more about the stories behind the Voyager mission

The two 1-ton spacecraft returned more knowledge-changing data than any mission before or since: stunning photographs that consistently revealed our solar system to be much more diverse, complex, and beautiful than anyone ever imagined, and a veritable bounty of scientific information to go along with them. On board each Voyager spacecraft is a time capsule: a 12-inch, gold-plated copper disk carrying spoken greetings in 55 languages from Earth's peoples, along with 115 images and myriad sounds representing our home planet.

Even now, both Voyager spacecraft are still communicating with Earth. Many of their instruments are still functioning, as the two spacecraft head in different directions out of the solar system on their Interstellar Mission. Voyager 1 has now passed the termination shock, where the solar wind abruptly slows down as it pushes against the interstellar medium.

Voyager 1 Facts
Launch date: September 5, 1977
Jupiter flyby: March 5, 1979
Saturn flyby: November 12, 1980
Termination shock reached: December 17, 2004

Voyager 2 Facts
Launch date: August 20, 1977
Jupiter flyby: July 9, 1979
Saturn flyby: August 26, 1981
Uranus flyby: January 24, 1986
Neptune flyby: August 25, 1989