Voyager 1 will reach one light-day from Earth in 2026. Here’s what that means

CNN·Dec 9

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Voyager 1, launched in 1977, is expected to reach a distance of one light-day from Earth, a milestone that will be achieved when a radio signal takes a full day to reach the spacecraft. The exact date of this milestone is reported to be November 18, 2026. As Voyager 1 approaches this distance, its power source is slowly draining, with only two of its original science instruments still operational.

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Voyager 1 Has Been Flying Across Space Since 1977 And Still Hasn't Traveled 1 Light-Day

ScienceAlert·1h ago

Voyager 1 was launched in 1977 with a suite of 10 science instruments — as of 2026, only two remain switched on, and the spacecraft's nuclear power source loses roughly 4 watts every year, a slow drain that is now deciding what humanity still gets to learn fr

ScienceBlog.com·1h ago

Voyager 1 will reach a new milestone in November 2026: it will be so far from Earth that a radio signal travelling at the speed of light will take a full 24 hours to reach it — a distance humanity’s most distant spacecraft crossed in just over 49 years of continuous fl

Space Daily·4d ago

On November 18, 2026, Voyager 1 becomes the first thing humanity has ever built to sit a full light-day away — a full day for any signal to reach it.

19FortyFive·1d ago

Voyager 1 to reach 1 light-day from Earth on November 18

EarthSky·Jun 26

It's Official: Voyager 1 Will Break A Cosmic Record, Reaching 1 Light-Day From Earth On November 18, 2026

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bgr.com·5d ago

NASA's Voyager 1 probe is about to reach a distance of 1 light-day from Earth. Here's why this cosmic milestone is so huge

BBC Sky at Night Magazine·May 24

View original report at CNN ↗

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