NASA's Voyager 1 will become the first human-built object to reach one light-day from Earth on November 18, 2026. The milestone highlights the spacecraft's ongoing discovery of interstellar space.
NASA’s Voyager 1 spacecraft is set to achieve a new distance record on November 18, 2026. At 5:16:07 a.m. Eastern Standard Time, the probe will become the first human-built object to reach one light-day from Earth. This distance, defined as the space light travels in 24 hours, equals 25.9 billion kilometers, or more than four times the distance from the sun to Pluto.
At this distance, radio signals sent from Earth will take a full day to reach Voyager 1, and another day for scientists to receive a response. Launched from Cape Canaveral, Fla., on September 5, 1977, Voyager 1 has been operating for nearly 50 years. It surpassed the Pioneer 10 probe in 1998 to become the farthest human-built object from Earth.
The mission began with the goal of exploring the outer solar system during a rare planetary alignment that allowed gravitational assists from Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. Such an alignment will not occur again until the 2150s. The probes captured the first images of dozens of moons and detailed views of planetary rings. In March 1979, astronomer Linda Morabito of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory discovered active volcanic plumes on Jupiter’s moon Io, the first evidence of active volcanism outside Earth.
In August 2012, Voyager 1 crossed the heliopause, the boundary where the solar wind meets interstellar space. This occurred at a distance of 18 billion kilometers, or 120 times Earth’s distance from the sun. The crossing was confirmed in 2013 after a solar eruption caused electrons around the spacecraft to vibrate, allowing scientists to measure particle density.
Since entering interstellar space, the environment has been described as "very quiet and very consistent" by physicist Jamie Rankin of Princeton University. However, the boundary is not sharp. Physicist Jeewoo Park of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center notes that the sun’s reach extends farther than expected. Since mid-2020, magnetic field strength and particle density around the probe have remained high, a phenomenon scientists do not yet fully understand.
The Voyager probes carry Golden Records containing sounds and images of Earth, intended as messages to any potential extraterrestrial finders. Scientists estimate that the onboard power sources will dry up in 10 to 15 years, ending the ability to send data back to Earth.
After power loss, the spacecraft will continue to drift. Voyager 2 is projected to pass within 700 light-days of the red dwarf star Ross 248 in about 42,000 years. Voyager 1 is expected to encounter the star Gliese 445 at a similar distance in 44,000 years.
The one light-day milestone underscores the longevity of the Voyager mission and its role in defining the edge of the solar system. Data from the probes continues to challenge models of the heliosphere’s shape and the nature of interstellar space. As the spacecraft move farther away, they serve as the primary source of direct measurements from beyond the sun’s protective bubble, informing future missions like the Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe.
Sources
This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.
The day's checked news, by email
One short email a day with the top stories. Free, and you can unsubscribe in one click.
Or follow for the latest news:
No comments yet. Start the discussion.
SpaceTrending
NASA's Perseverance rover surpassed the previous off-world driving record on Oct. 11, 2026, reaching 28.10 miles. The milestone highlights advances in autonomous navigation and extends the mission's exploration of ancient Martian terrain.
Japan is preparing to launch the Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) mission, aiming to collect and return soil samples from Phobos. The JAXA-led effort involves international partners and seeks to resolve debates on the moons' origins.