Voyager 1 to reach one light-day distance from Earth in 2026
The NASA spacecraft will be approximately 25.9 billion kilometres away, marking a milestone for the human-made object.
NASA's Voyager 1 spacecraft is expected to reach a distance of one light-day from Earth on November 18, 2026, according to The Federal. At 3.46 pm IST on that date, the probe will be roughly 25.9 billion kilometres away.
This distance means a radio signal moving at light speed will require 24 hours to reach the craft. A response sent immediately by Voyager 1 would then take another 24 hours to return to Earth, creating a two-day communication gap.
The spacecraft, which launched on September 5, 1977, from Cape Canaveral, Florida, will continue its course through interstellar space. No specific events are expected to occur on board as it crosses this boundary.
Astronomers use light-travel time to express vast cosmic distances. While light travels at about 300,000 kilometres per second in a vacuum, a light-day represents the total distance covered by light in 24 hours.
Voyager 1 was originally designed to study Jupiter and Saturn. During its mission, it discovered volcanic activity on the moon Io and identified a ring system around Jupiter.