The record-setting probe will achieve the one light-day distance after more than 49 years of continuous spaceflight since its 1977 departure. Cruising at nearly 38,000 miles per hour, it is currently heading toward the distant star Gliese 445 in the constellation Ursa Minor. It will take approximately 40,000 years for the spacecraft to pass within roughly 1.7 light-years of this target star. Meanwhile, its twin craft will hit the same distance milestone nearly a decade later.
Key points
Electromagnetic radiation travels at approximately 186,000 miles per second, serving as t…: Electromagnetic radiation travels at approximately 186,000 miles per second, serving as the benchmark for measuring vast cosmic distances.
It will take Voyager 1 about 40,000 years to reach the vicinity of the star Gliese 445.: It will take Voyager 1 about 40,000 years to reach the vicinity of the star Gliese 445.
The spacecraft will have traveled for over 49 years when it officially crosses the one li…: The spacecraft will have traveled for over 49 years when it officially crosses the one light-day threshold.
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The Voyager 1 spacecraft, traveling for nearly 50 years, will soon cross a mile marker reached by no other human-made object — one light-day away from Earth. That’s the distance a particle of light can travel in 24 hours, equaling about 16 billion miles (about 26 billion kilometers), a point that Voyager 1 will reach on Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2026, at 5:16:07 a.m. EST.
Voyager 1 to Reach One Light-Day
NOV 18, 2026, 5:16AM EST
Its twin spacecraft, Voyager 2, took a different path through the solar system after they launched in 1977, in order to visit Uranus and Neptune. Voyager 2 is on pace to be one light-day away from Earth in nine more years, in November 2035.
Why measure with light?
Nothing in the universe travels faster than light. Moving through space about 186,000 miles every second, it crosses enormous distances in a given time period, whether it’s a second, a day, or a year. This is true for any type of electromagnetic radiation, including visible light, microwaves, radio waves, gamma rays, X-rays, or infrared. A light-day is…
Researchers analyzing the Mali meteorite discovery have confirmed it preserves vital evidence of early planetary crust formation and volcanism. Chemical tests on the sample prove that liquid water actively altered the crust over four billion years ago. These findings provide scientists with rare insight into an unexplored Martian region and the planet's dynamic ancient water cycle.
Ankara's aerospace initiative builds on more than two decades of satellite manufacturing spearheaded by Tubitak Uzay and the Turkish Space Agency. By mastering deep-space engineering challenges through domestic technological sovereignty, the nation seeks to join an elite group of spacefaring countries capable of conducting independent off-planet exploration.
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