1977
LAUNCHED
2 SPACECRAFT
VOYAGER 1 + 2
INTERSTELLAR
MISSION REGION
JUPITER
FIRST PLANETARY ENCOUNTER
SATURN
MAJOR ENCOUNTER
GOLDEN RECORD
MESSAGE FROM EARTH
THE JOURNEY BEYOND THE PLANETS
The Voyager program consists of two robotic
spacecraft, Voyager 1 and Voyager 2,
launched in 1977 to explore the outer Solar
System.
Voyager 1 visited Jupiter and Saturn before
continuing on a trajectory out of the Solar
System. Voyager 2 made the first and only
close flybys of Uranus and Neptune.
Both spacecraft used gravity-assist maneuvers
to gain speed by passing close to planets.
After completing their planetary missions,
the spacecraft continued into the outer
heliosphere and eventually entered
interstellar space.
Voyager 1 became the first human-made object
to enter interstellar space, followed by
Voyager 2.
Even after decades in space, the spacecraft
continue to provide unique measurements of
the environment far beyond the planets.
VOYAGER FEATURES
VOYAGER 1
Voyager 1 explored Jupiter and Saturn
and is now traveling through interstellar
space farther from Earth than any other
human-made spacecraft.
VOYAGER 2
Voyager 2 is the only spacecraft to have
visited all four giant planets:
Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.
GOLDEN RECORD
Each Voyager carries a golden record
containing sounds, images and greetings
representing life and civilization on Earth.
DID YOU KNOW?
The Voyager spacecraft are traveling so far
from Earth that their radio signals take
many hours to reach us.
FROM THE GIANT PLANETS TO INTERSTELLAR SPACE
Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 used rare planetary alignments and gravity assists to explore the outer Solar System. Together they returned close-range observations of Jupiter and Saturn, while Voyager 2 remains the only spacecraft to have visited Uranus and Neptune.
After their planetary encounters, the spacecraft continued outward. Measurements from the Voyager probes have helped scientists investigate the heliosphere and the transition into the local interstellar environment far beyond the major planets.
VOYAGER PROGRAM
NASA / JPL
NASA / JPL