On Sept. 5, 1977, Voyager 1 began its epic journey through deep space with a glorious morning launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida.
Voyager 1 Spacecraft’s Road to Interstellar Space: A Photo Timeline
Voyager 1 initially launched on a mission to explore the outer planets. After flying by Jupiter and Saturn in 1979 and 1980, the spacecraft took a sharp turn and started heading straight out of the solar system.
Voyager 1 became the first spacecraft to reach interstellar space in 2012, although scientists are still debating about exactly where that boundary lies.
The spacecraft’s next big encounter will take place in about 40,000 years, when it will fly by another star system. And just in case it comes across any intelligent life out in the universe, it’s carrying a golden record with sights, sounds and greetings from planet Earth.
On This Day in Space Archive!
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