Voyager 1’s Final Years: One Light-Day Away and Fading
On November 18, 2026, Voyager 1 becomes the first human-made object to sit one light-day from Earth, about 16 billion miles away. This story follows what NASA is sacrificing to keep it running, and why the end of its radio is not the end of its journey. Each Voyager loses about 4 watts of plutonium-powered electricity every year, so engineers shut instruments off in a pre-agreed order. Voyager 1 is down to two science instruments. Voyager 2’s “Big Bang” power swap worked in 2026, and Voyager 1 is next. We also look at what a one-light-day delay means in practice, why the Golden Record keeps travelling, and the projected flybys of Gliese 445 and Ross 248 in about 40,000 years. Follow for more stories from Earth, space, and the unknown.