- Pair of US spacecraft used for the exploration of the outer solar system. Voyager 1 was launched in 1977 and reached Jupiter in March 1979 and Saturn in November 1980. Voyager 2 was also launched in 1977 and travelled through the solar system behind Voyager 1, reaching Jupiter and Saturn in July 1979 and August 1981 respectively. Voyager 2 then flew past Uranus in 1986 and Neptune in 1989, making the Voyagers the source of an overwhelming proportion of our knowledge of the giant planets. Both are now leaving the solar system, equipped with greetings from Earth for any living creatures they might encounter.
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