Voyager Missions Timeline

The entire Voyager 2 scan platform, including all of the platform instruments, was switched off in 1998 as power conservation became increasingly important for extending the mission's life.

Image source: Voyager 2

The Heliophysics Division of the NASA Science Mission Directorate conducted a Heliophysics Senior Review in 2008, evaluating the continued scientific value of the aging Voyager missions.

In July 2019, a revised power management plan was implemented for the two probes' dwindling power supplies, allowing science instruments to continue operating longer than originally anticipated.

On 14 November 2023, Voyager 1 stopped sending all telemetry and data, though the carrier signal was still present, raising concerns about the fate of the historic spacecraft more than 46 years after launch.

New software was written to avoid a bad memory block in Voyager 1's computer, and engineering data resumed on 20 April 2024, marking the beginning of the spacecraft's recovery from its communications anomaly.

Science data from two instruments resumed in May 2024, and full recovery of all science instruments that were still powered up was achieved in June 2024, restoring the spacecraft to full operational status.

As of 2026, both Voyagers are still in operation beyond the outer boundary of the heliosphere in interstellar space, continuing to return valuable data nearly five decades after their launches.

In December 2004, Voyager 1 crossed the termination shock at a distance of 94 AU, where the solar wind is slowed to subsonic speed, and entered the heliosheath, where the solar wind is compressed and made turbulent due to interactions with the interstellar medium.

Image source: Heliosphere

Voyager 2 completed the termination shock crossing in August 2007 at a distance of 84 AU. On 10 December 2007 it was reported that this was about 1.6 billion kilometres (1 billion miles) closer to the Sun than where Voyager 1 first crossed it, indicating that the Solar System is asymmetrical.

In 2010, Voyager 1 reported that the outward velocity of the solar wind had dropped to zero, and scientists predicted the spacecraft was nearing interstellar space.

In 2011, data from the Voyagers determined that the heliosheath was not smooth, but filled with giant magnetic bubbles, revealing unexpected structure in the Sun's magnetic field at the edge of the Solar System.

In June 2012, scientists at NASA reported that Voyager 1 was very close to entering interstellar space, which was indicated by a sharp rise in high-energy particles from outside the Solar System striking the spacecraft.

On 25 August 2012, data from Voyager 1 indicated that it had entered interstellar space, marking a historic milestone in human space exploration as the first human-made object to leave the heliosphere.

In September 2013, NASA announced that Voyager 1 had crossed the heliopause on 25 August 2012, making it the first spacecraft to enter interstellar space, over a year after the actual crossing occurred.

In August 2018, NASA confirmed, based on results by the New Horizons spacecraft, the existence of a 'hydrogen wall' at the outer edges of the Solar System that was first detected in 1992 by the two Voyager spacecraft.

Scientists reported on 4 November 2019 that on 5 November 2018, the Voyager 2 probe had officially reached the interstellar medium (ISM), a region of outer space beyond the influence of the solar wind, as did Voyager 1 in 2012.

In December 2018, NASA announced that Voyager 2 had crossed the heliopause on 5 November 2018, making it the second spacecraft to enter interstellar space, following its twin six years later.

On 5 November 2019, data from Voyager 2 indicated that it also had entered interstellar space, confirming the second successful transition beyond the heliosphere by a human-made spacecraft.

In October 2020, astronomers reported a significant unexpected increase in density in the space beyond the Solar System, as detected by the Voyager space probes, providing new insights into the interstellar medium.