Voyager 2 was part of the Voyager program to study the outer planets. Voyager 2 was launched on August 20, 1977, two weeks earlier than Voyager 1.
Voyager 2 was launched by Titan IIIE-Centaur rocket. Voyager 2 is the only spacecraft to have ever made a flyby of the outer planets Uranus and Neptune.
Location:
Voyager 2 is currently in the heliosheath area of the Solar System. Heliosheath is the outermost layer of the heliosphere where the solar wind is slowed by the pressure of interstellar gas.
Voyager 1 is currently located in interstellar space.
Mission
Voyager 2 has visited Jupiter and Saturn. It flew past Neptune in 1989, but it’s still functioning and communicating with Earth.
Voyager 2 was built at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab in Pasadena, California.
Voyager 2 took advantage of a rare alignment of the planets so that it could use a gravity assisting boost as it flew past each one. The increased velocity from Jupiter would help it reach Saturn, Saturn helped it get to Uranus and then to Neptune.
Specs
Weight: 721.9 kg
Voyager 2 Distance from Earth: 98.69762867 AU (14,764,955,091 km) – (Aug 2012)
Voyager 2 Distance from Sun: 99.35455585 AU (14,863,229,999 km) – (Aug 2012)
Voyager 2 Roundtrip Light from the Sun: 27:21:41 (hh:mm:ss)- (Aug 2012)
History
20 Aug 1977: Launch
9 July 1979: Jupiter Flyby (Closest Approach)
26 August 1981: Saturn Flyby (Closest Approach)
24 January 1986: Uranus Flyby (Closest Approach)
24 August 1989: Neptune Flyby (Closest Approach)
Did you know?
* Voyager 1 and 2 spacecraft were built with identical components, but launched on slightly different trajectories.
Voyager 2 was the first of the two spacecraft to be launched.
Voyager 2 Links:
Voyager – The Interstellar Mission: JPL NASA
Where are the Voyagers – NASA Voyager:
Voyager 2 – NASA – NSSDC – Spacecraft – Details:
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