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THIS DAY IN HISTORY: Voyager 2 Marks 49 Years Since Launch From Kennedy Space Center
August 20, 1977
BREVARD COUNTY • KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLORIDA — NASA’s Voyager 2 spacecraft began its historic journey 49 years ago today, launching from Kennedy Space Center aboard a Titan IIIE-Centaur rocket on Aug. 20, 1977.
The spacecraft took advantage of a rare alignment of the outer planets that allowed it and its twin, Voyager 1, to conduct a sweeping “Grand Tour” of the solar system.
During its remarkable mission, Voyager 2 completed flybys of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune, providing scientists with unprecedented observations of the planets, their moons and ring systems.
Voyager 2 remains the only spacecraft to have visited Uranus and Neptune. It flew past Uranus in January 1986 and Neptune in August 1989, revealing previously unknown moons, rings and atmospheric features.
Although Voyager 2 launched 16 days before Voyager 1, Voyager 1 followed a faster trajectory and eventually became the first of the two spacecraft to reach interstellar space.
Nearly five decades after leaving Florida’s Space Coast, both spacecraft continue their missions beyond the influence of the solar wind, transmitting scientific data from interstellar space.
Voyager 2’s longevity has made the mission one of the greatest achievements in space exploration, extending a journey that began at Kennedy Space Center into the most distant frontier ever explored by humanity.
