The twin Voyagers are just inside the bubble of our solar system in this illustration.
Rocket launching into space from Florida.
Ariel, a moon of Uranus, has numerous valleys and fault scarps crisscross the highly pitted terrain.

7 Things to Know About Voyager

  1. 01

    Launch

    Voyager 2 launched on Aug. 20, 1977, from Cape Canaveral, Florida aboard a Titan-Centaur rocket. Voyager 1 launched on Sept. 5 from Cape Canaveral on a similar rocket.

  2. 02

    Planetary Tour

    Between them, Voyager 1 and 2 explored all the giant planets of our solar system; 48 moons orbiting them; and unique systems of rings and magnetic fields surrounding them.

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  3. 03

    Most Distant Spacecraft

    On Feb. 17, 1998, Voyager 1 passed Pioneer 10 to become the most distant human-made object in space.

  4. 04

    The Golden Record

    Both Voyager spacecrafts carry a greeting to any form of life, should that be encountered.

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  5. 05

    Termination Shock

    Voyager 1 crossed the termination shock in December 2004 at about 94 AU from the Sun while Voyager 2 crossed it in August 2007 at about 84 AU.

  6. 06

    Going Interstellar

    Voyager 1, which is traveling up away from the plane of the planets, entered interstellar space on Aug. 25, 2012. Voyager 2, which is headed away from the Sun beneath the plane of the planets, reached interstellar space on Nov. 5, 2018.

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  7. 07

    Present Status

    Voyager 1 is escaping the solar system at a speed of about 3.6 AU per year. Voyager 2 is escaping the solar system at a speed of about 3.3 AU per year.

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