Slice of History - 45th Anniversary of Voyager 1 Launch

5 September 2021 marks the 45th anniversary of the Voyager 1 launch! Formerly known as Mariner Jupiter-Saturn 1977 or MJS77, Voyager is the most distant artificial object from Earth. Launched just 16 days after its twin spacecraft, Voyager 2, Voyager 1 began its exploration of the Jovian and Saturnian systems, discovering new moons, active volcanoes, and a wealth of data about the outer solar system.

Voyagers 1 and 2 were specifically designed to take advantage of a rare planetary alignment that occurs only once very ~176 years, and remains the most well-traveled spacecraft in history. Throughout its tenure in the solar system, Voyager has made an impact all over the world. From its launch to its encounters, Voyager’s celebrity is unmatched in the sky; so much that it received countless fan mail following the Saturn encounter.

Both Voyagers are special in the respect that they carry copies of the Golden Record, a sound-based time capsule intended to communicate a story of our world to extraterrestrials. Schedule a visit with the Archivists to check out the Archives’ copy of the Golden Record! CL#21-5904

The content presented here should be viewed in the context of the time period. Our intent is to present the history of JPL in a factual manner that uses primary resources and historical context. We recognize that some information or images do not reflect the current values, policies, and mission of JPL.