Voyager 2

space exploration · giant planets · robotic explorer

Launched in 1977. Voyager 2 blasted off from Earth on August 20, 1977, just 16 days before its twin spacecraft Voyager 1. Both probes were designed to explore the outer reaches of our solar system.

Visited giant planets. Voyager 2 is the only spacecraft ever to visit all four giant planets: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. It flew past each one, taking amazing pictures and collecting data that scientists still study today.

Escaped the Sun. Voyager 2 traveled so fast that it achieved escape velocity, meaning it picked up enough speed to break free from the Sun's gravity and leave our entire solar system behind.

Still communicating. Even though it launched over 45 years ago, Voyager 2 is still sending signals back to Earth from interstellar space, the region beyond where the Sun's energy reaches.

Mission never ends. What started as a mission to study the outer planets became an extended mission to explore the mysterious space between stars and help us understand what lies beyond our solar system.