Voyager 1, launched on September 5, 1977, has traveled farther from Earth than any other human-made object. Now more than 15 billion miles from our planet, it continues to communicate with NASA, sending precious data from the boundaries of interstellar space.

Beyond the Solar System

In 2012, Voyager 1 officially crossed the heliopause — the boundary where the Sun's influence ends and interstellar space begins. This historic moment made it the first human-made object to enter interstellar space.

The spacecraft's instruments, though aging, continue to measure cosmic rays, magnetic fields, and plasma waves in this uncharted territory. Each transmission takes over 22 hours to reach Earth, traveling at the speed of light.

The Golden Record

Aboard Voyager 1 is the Golden Record — a 12-inch gold-plated copper disk containing sounds and images selected to portray the diversity of life and culture on Earth. It includes greetings in 55 languages, music from different cultures, and natural sounds of the planet.

This time capsule was designed by a committee chaired by Carl Sagan, intended as a message for any extraterrestrial intelligence that might encounter the spacecraft millions of years from now.