Voyager 1 is a space probe launched by NASA on September 5, 1977, as part of the Voyager program to study the outer Solar System and the interstellar space beyond the Sun's heliosphere. It was launched 16 days after its twin, Voyager 2. It communicates through the NASA Deep Space Network (DSN) to receive routine commands and to transmit data to Earth. Real-time distance and velocity data are provided by NASA and JPL. At a distance of 162.7 AU from Earth as of May 2024, it is the most distant humanmade object from Earth. The probe made flybys of Jupiter, Saturn, and Saturn's largest moon, Titan. NASA had a choice of either doing a Pluto or Titan flyby; exploration of the moon took priority because it was known to have a substantial atmosphere. Voyager 1 studied the weather, magnetic fields, and rings of the two gas giants and was the first probe to provide detailed images of their moons.
Gold-Plated Record is attached to Voyager 1
Edward C. Stone, former director of NASA JPL, standing in front of a Voyager spacecraft model
Voyager 1 lifted off atop a Titan IIIE.
Jupiter's Great Red Spot, an anti-cyclonic storm larger than Earth, as seen from Voyager 1
Uncrewed spacecraft or robotic spacecraft are spacecraft without people on board. Uncrewed spacecraft may have varying levels of autonomy from human input, such as remote control, or remote guidance. They may also be autonomous, in which they have a pre-programmed list of operations that will be executed unless otherwise instructed. A robotic spacecraft for scientific measurements is often called a space probe or space observatory.
A replica of Sputnik 1 at the U.S. National Air and Space Museum
A replica of Explorer 1
An illustration's of NASA's planned Orion spacecraft approaching a robotic asteroid capture vehicle
A collage of automated cargo spacecraft used in the past or present to resupply the International Space Station
