Which spacecraft, launched in 1977, is the most distant human-made object from Earth?

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Voyager 1 is the most distant human-made object from Earth.

NASA launched Voyager 1 on 5 September 1977. It flew past Jupiter in 1979 and Saturn in 1980, returning detailed observations of both planets and several moons. Its trajectory then carried it outward from the Solar System’s planetary region.

Voyager 1 crossed the heliopause in 2012, becoming the first spacecraft to enter interstellar space according to measurements of the surrounding plasma. It continues to communicate with Earth across an enormous distance, although its instruments and systems have been gradually switched off to conserve power.

Voyager 2 launched earlier, on 20 August 1977, and is also traveling through interstellar space, but Voyager 1 is farther away. New Horizons visited Pluto in 2015 and continues outward, yet it remains closer to Earth than either Voyager spacecraft.

Source: Wikipedia · fact-checked Oct. 2026

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