Voyager 1 Reaches a Light-Day Distance from Earth

NASA's Voyager 1 spacecraft, launched in 1977, is preparing to reach a distance of approximately 25.9 billion kilometers from Earth on November 18, 2026.

NASA's Voyager 1 spacecraft, which was launched in 1977 and is known to have reached interstellar space in 2012, will mark a new milestone on November 18, 2026, by reaching a distance of one light-day from Earth. This distance corresponds to approximately 16.09 billion miles, or 25.9 billion kilometers.

Once this distance is reached, it will take approximately 48 hours for a radio signal sent from Earth to reach the spacecraft and for the response to return. The spacecraft, which has had some of its systems shut down to reduce energy consumption, continues to transmit scientific data today.

In the context of this historic development, NASA plans to hold a global Morse code event on November 17. Additionally, it was reported that an information meeting will be held at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory on November 19.