JPL
Careers
Education
Science & Technology
JPL Logo
JPL Logo

Interstellar Mission

Voyager 1

Voyager 1 reached interstellar space in August 2012 and is the most distant human-made object in existence.

Visit Mission Website
Voyager 1 Foreground

Mission Statistics

Launch Date

Sept. 5, 1977

Type

Flyby Spacecraft

Target

Interstellar Space

Status

Current

About the mission

Voyager 1 reached interstellar space in August 2012 and is the most distant human-made object in existence. Launched just shortly after its twin spacecraft, Voyager 2, in 1977, Voyager 1 explored 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 designed to take advantage of a rare planetary alignment that occurs only once in 176 years and remain the most well traveled spacecraft in history. Both spacecraft carry a sort of time capsule called the Golden Record, a 12-inch gold-plated copper disk containing sounds and images selected to portray the story of our world to extraterrestrials.

Instruments

  • Imaging system
  • Infrared interferometer spectrometer
  • Ultraviolet spectrometer
  • Triaxial fluxgate magnetometer
  • Plasma spectrometer
  • Low-energy charged particles detectors
  • Cosmic Ray System (CRS)
  • Photopolarimeter System (PPS)
  • Plasma Wave System (PWS)

Mission Highlights

Sept. 1, 2013

September 2013: After intensive analysis, mission scientists determine that Voyager 1 reached interstellar space in August 2012.
Interstellar target graphic

Interactive 3D model of Voyager 1. View the full interactive experience at Eyes on the Solar System.

More about Solar System and Stars and Galaxies

News.

NASA’s Perseverance Rover Watches Earth Vanish Behind Martian Moon

News.

NASA Engineers Help Prolong Voyager 2’s Science Mission

Image.

NASA’s Perseverance Captures Phobos and Earth

Video.

What's Up - August 2026

Image.

NASA’s Curiosity Views a Sand-Capped Butte

Image.

NASA’s Curiosity Discovers a Field of Martian Polygons

News.

NASA’s Juno Takes Temperature of Jupiter’s Fiery Moon Io

Image.

Mapping Io’s Hidden Heat With NASA’s Juno

Image.

NASA’s Juno Peers Beneath Io’s Surface

News.

NASA’s Psyche Mission Delivers Mars Flyby Data, Time-lapse Video

  • › Mission Website
  • › Fact Sheet
  • › JPL History
  • › Voyager 1 Information on Solar System Exploration
  • › NASA Mission Page
  • › Voyager 2 Information on National Space Science Data Center

Explore Other Missions

Disturbance Reduction System

Europa Lander

Europa Clipper

Cold Atom Laboratory

ASTHROS

Euclid

Galileo

Dawn

Cassini-Huygens

Galaxy Evolution Explorer

About JPL
Who We Are
Directors
Careers
Internships
The JPL Story
JPL Achievements
Documentary Series
JPL Annual Report
Executive Council
Missions
Current
Past
Future
All
News
All
Earth
Solar System
Stars and Galaxies
Eyes on the News
Subscribe to JPL News
Galleries
Images
Videos
Audio
Podcasts
Apps
Visions of the Future
Slice of History
Robotics at JPL
Events
Lecture Series
Speakers Bureau
Calendar
Explore JPL
Visit
Public Tours
Virtual Tour
Directions and Maps
Explore JPL
Topics
JPL Life
Solar System
Mars
Earth
Climate Change
Exoplanets
Stars and Galaxies
Robotics
More
Asteroid Watch
NASA's Eyes Visualizations
Universe - Internal Newsletter
Social Media
Accessibility at NASA
Contact Us
Get the Latest from JPL
Follow Us

JPL is a federally funded research and development center managed for NASA by Caltech.

More from JPL
Careers
Education
Science & Technology
Acquisition
JPL Store
Careers
Education
Science & Technology
Acquisition
JPL Store
Related NASA Sites
Basics of Spaceflight
NASA Kids Science - Earth
Earth / Global Climate Change
Exoplanet Exploration
Mars Exploration
Solar System Exploration
Space Place
NASA's Eyes Visualization Project
Voyager Interstellar Mission
NASA
Caltech
Privacy
Image Policy
FAQ
Feedback
Version: v3.2.0 - d1d9e20
Site Managers:Emilee Richardson, Alicia Cermak
Site Editors:Steve Carney
CL#:21-0018