NASA's Voyager 1 closes in on a light-day in interstellar space for new distance record

Cape Canaveral NASA's Voyager 1 is about to become humanity's first object to reach one light-day from Earth as it pushes ever deeper into interstellar space. That's a mind-blowing distance of more than 26 billion kilometres for the spacecraft launched 49 years ago.

When Voyager 1 reaches that remarkable milestone on Wednesday (November 18, 2026), its radio signals will take precisely 24 hours travelling at the speed of light to reach Earth — in other words, one light-day. NASA is looking at another 18,000 years before the spacecraft achieves a full light-year and more than double that before it comes near another star.

Visual Story: Postcards from Earth https://www.thehindu.com/infographics/2026-11-05/nasa-voyager-i-49-years-in-space/index.html Project manager Suzanne Dodd sees Voyager 1 as Earth's ambassador hurtling between stars while providing a “sense of wonder” on the home front. “It's a national treasure,” she told The Associated Press.