Voyager 1 to Reach 25.9 Billion Kilometers From Earth on Nov. 18, 2026
Updated
Updated · ScienceAlert · Jul 12
Voyager 1 to Reach 25.9 Billion Kilometers From Earth on Nov. 18, 2026
3 articles · Updated · ScienceAlert · Jul 12
Summary
NASA says Voyager 1 will hit 25.9 billion kilometers from Earth at 2:16 a.m. PST on Nov. 18, 2026, becoming the first human-made object to reach a 1 light-day distance.
At Voyager 1’s current speed of about 61,100 kilometers an hour, the milestone will come more than 49 years after launch and will stretch command-response communication to roughly two days round trip.
The spacecraft, already the first human-made object in interstellar space, is still operating beyond the heliosphere with two instruments left after NASA shut down others to conserve dwindling plutonium power.
NASA expects Voyager 1 to keep sending data into the early 2030s, extending a mission that began with Jupiter and Saturn flybys and evolved into a long-running probe of interstellar space.
As Voyager 1's power fades, what lessons from its 50-year odyssey are fueling the next generation of deep space probes?
Will a risky power-saving maneuver, just tested on its twin, save Voyager 1's final science experiments from permanent shutdown?
What is the ultimate fate of humanity's Golden Record as it silently journeys for a billion years through interstellar space?
Voyager 1 at One Light-Day: Humanity’s Most Distant Messenger and the Future of Deep Space Communication
Overview
On November 18, 2026, Voyager 1 will reach a distance of one light-day from Earth, marking a major milestone in space communication. This means any signal sent from the spacecraft will take 24 hours to reach Earth, and a full round trip for commands and responses will take two days. The achievement highlights the extraordinary challenges and advanced technology needed to maintain contact with such a distant probe. Despite its age and the shutdown of many instruments, Voyager 1 continues to send valuable scientific data, demonstrating the robust engineering and enduring mission of this historic spacecraft.