NASA
Where is Voyager 1 now?
Today Voyager 1 is 172.5 au (25.8 billion km) from Earth and 172.0 au from the Sun. Its radio signals take 23 h 54 min to reach us. It is moving away from Earth at 37.2 km/s.
In our sky it is in Ophiuchus (right ascension 17h 14m 41s, declination +12° 08′ 52″), but far too faint to see. This position is calculated from old tracking data, not measured today.
Where it is in the Solar System
Seen from above the plane of Earth’s orbit, with the Sun in the middle: the planets’ orbits, the spacecraft today and its path a year back and a year ahead (where JPL’s trajectory covers it).
Mission
Flew past Jupiter and Saturn, then became the first spacecraft to leave the heliosphere and study interstellar space.
| Agency | NASA |
|---|---|
| Launch | September 5, 1977 |
| Destination | Jupiter, Saturn, Interstellar space |
| Status | Active extended mission; after an instrument was switched off on 17 April 2026, two science instruments remain on. |
Milestones
- March 5, 1979Closest approach to Jupiter. Source
- November 12, 1980Closest approach to Saturn. Source
- February 17, 1998Became the most distant human-made object. Source
- August 25, 2012Became the first spacecraft to exit the heliosphere. Source
- April 17, 2026Engineers turned off the Low-energy Charged Particles instrument to save power. Source
Position: JPL Horizons, October 13, 2026. NASA · Data sources
How to use this page
The page shows where the spacecraft is now, its path through the solar system, its key facts and its main milestones, from NASA JPL’s data.
Frequently asked questions
How is the position worked out?
From NASA JPL Horizons, which publishes the trajectories of spacecraft. The page is refreshed daily.
Can I see it in the sky?
No. Deep space probes are far too small and far away to see, even with a large telescope.
How do we talk to it?
Through NASA’s Deep Space Network, large radio dishes in California, Spain and Australia.