Voyager 1 Reaches 1 Light-Day From Earth on Nov. 18, 2026 as Signals Take 24 Hours
Updated
Updated · spacedaily.com · Jul 18
Voyager 1 Reaches 1 Light-Day From Earth on Nov. 18, 2026 as Signals Take 24 Hours
3 articles · Updated · spacedaily.com · Jul 18
Summary
NASA says Voyager 1 will hit the one-light-day mark at 2:16:07 a.m. PST on Nov. 18, 2026, when it will be 16,094,799,096 miles from Earth.
At that distance, a radio command from Earth will need 24 hours to arrive, turning routine spacecraft operations into a two-day round trip even if Voyager replies immediately.
Voyager 1, launched in 1977 and now the most distant human-made object, entered interstellar space in 2012 after crossing the heliopause.
The probe is still operating but in reduced form: NASA's April 2026 status update showed only its magnetometer and plasma wave subsystem still active as power continues to fade.