View source for Voyager 2

{{Short description|NASA space probe launched in 1977}}
{{good article}}
{{Italic title}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2024|cs1-dates=l}}
{{Use American English|date=March 2018}}
{{Infobox spaceflight
| name                  = ''Voyager 2''
| image                 = Voyager spacecraft model.png
| image_caption         = Artist's rendering of the ''Voyager'' spacecraft design
| image_alt             = Artist's rendering of the Voyager spacecraft, a small-bodied spacecraft with a large, central dish and multiple arms and antennas extending from the dish
| mission_type          = Planetary exploration
| operator              = [[NASA]] / [[Jet Propulsion Laboratory|JPL]]<ref>{{cite web |url=https://starbrite.jpl.nasa.gov/ds-view/pds/viewMissionProfile.jsp?MISSION_NAME=VOYAGER |title=Voyager: Mission Information |date=1989 |publisher=NASA |access-date=January 2, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170220172041/https://starbrite.jpl.nasa.gov/ds-view/pds/viewMissionProfile.jsp?MISSION_NAME=VOYAGER |archive-date=February 20, 2017 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
| website               = {{URL|https://science.nasa.gov/mission/voyager/}}
| COSPAR_ID             = 1977-076A<ref name="us national space science data center">{{cite web |url=https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=1977-076A |title=Voyager 2 |publisher=US National Space Science Data Center |access-date=August 25, 2013 |archive-date=January 31, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170131044213/http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraftDisplay.do?id=1977-076A |url-status=live }}</ref>
| SATCAT                = 10271<ref name="us national space science data center" />
| mission_duration      = {{plainlist|
* {{time interval|20 August 1977 14:29:00|sep=,}} elapsed
* Planetary mission: {{time interval|20 August 1977|2 October 1989|show=ymd|sep=,}}
* Interstellar mission: {{time interval|October 2, 1989|show=ymd|sep=,}} elapsed
}}
| spacecraft_type       =
| manufacturer          = [[Jet Propulsion Laboratory]]
| dry_mass              =
| launch_mass           = {{convert|721.9|kg|lb}}<ref name="national aeronautics and space administration">{{cite web |url=https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/voyager-2/in-depth/ |title=Voyager 2 |publisher=NASA's Solar System Exploration website |access-date=December 4, 2022 |archive-date=April 20, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170420085656/https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/voyager2/indepth |url-status=live }}</ref>
| power                 = 470&nbsp;watts (at launch)
| launch_date           = {{start date text|August 20, 1977, 14:29:00|timezone=yes}}&nbsp;UTC
| launch_rocket         = [[Titan IIIE]]
| launch_site           = [[Cape Canaveral Air Force Station|Cape Canaveral]] [[Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Space Launch Complex 41|LC-41]]
| launch_contractor     =
| last_contact          = <!--{{end-date|[TBD]}}-->
| decay_date            =
|interplanetary         =
 {{Infobox spaceflight/IP
   |type                = flyby
   |object              = [[Jupiter]]
   |distance            = {{convert|570000|km|mi|sp=us}}
   |arrival_date        = July 9, 1979}}
 {{Infobox spaceflight/IP
   |type                = flyby
   |object              = [[Saturn]]
   |distance            = {{convert|101000|km|mi|abbr=on}}
   |arrival_date        = August 26, 1981}}
 {{Infobox spaceflight/IP
   |type                = flyby
   |object              = [[Uranus]]
   |distance            = {{convert|81500|km|mi|abbr=on}}
   |arrival_date        = January 24, 1986}}
 {{Infobox spaceflight/IP
   |type                = flyby
   |object              = [[Neptune]]
   |distance            = {{convert|4951|km|mi|abbr=on}}
   |arrival_date        = August 25, 1989}}
| instruments_list   = {{Infobox spaceflight/Instruments
  |acronym1 = ISS  |name1 = Imaging Science System
  |acronym2 = RSS |name2 = Radio Science System
  |acronym3 = IRIS   |name3 = Infrared interferometer spectrometer and radiometer
  |acronym4 = UVS |name4 = Ultraviolet Spectrometer
  |acronym5 = MAG    |name5 = Triaxial Fluxgate Magnetometer
  |acronym6 = PLS  |name6 = Plasma Spectrometer
  |acronym7 = LECP    |name7 = Low Energy Charged Particle Instrument
  |acronym8 = CRS    |name8 = Cosmic Ray System
  |acronym9 = PRA    |name9 = Planetary Radio Astronomy Investigation
  |acronym10 = PPS    |name10 = Photopolarimeter System
  |acronym11 = PWS    |name11 = Plasma Wave Subsystem
}}
| programme             = '''[[Large Strategic Science Missions]]'''<br/><small>''Planetary Science Division''</small>
| previous_mission      = ''[[Viking 2]]''
| next_mission          = ''[[Voyager 1]]''
| programme2            = '''[[Voyager program]]'''
}}
{{Interstellar_probes_trajectory.svg}}

'''''Voyager 2''''' is a [[space probe]] launched by [[NASA]] on August 20, 1977, as a part of the [[Voyager program]]. It was launched on a [[trajectory]] towards the [[gas giants]] ([[Jupiter]] and [[Saturn]]) and enabled further encounters with the [[ice giant]]s ([[Uranus]] and [[Neptune]]). The only spacecraft to have visited either of the ice giant planets, it was the [[List of artificial objects leaving the Solar System|third of five spacecraft]] to achieve Solar [[escape velocity]], which allowed it to leave the [[Solar System#Farthest regions|Solar System]]. Launched 16 days before its twin ''[[Voyager 1]]'', the primary mission of the spacecraft was to study the [[outer planets]] and its extended mission is to study [[interstellar space]] beyond the [[Sun]]'s [[heliosphere]].

''Voyager 2'' successfully fulfilled its primary mission of visiting the [[Exploration of Jupiter|Jovian system]] in 1979, the [[Exploration of Saturn|Saturnian system]] in 1981, [[Exploration of Uranus|Uranian system]] in 1986, and the [[Exploration of Neptune|Neptunian system]] in 1989. The spacecraft is in its extended mission of studying the [[interstellar medium]]. It is at a distance of {{Convert|139.26|AU|e9km e9mi|sigfig=3|abbr=unit}} from [[Earth]] {{as of|2025|5|lc=yes|df=US}}<!-- DO NOT UPDATE THIS MORE THAN ONCE PER MONTH -->.<ref name="missionstatus">{{cite web |title=Voyager – Mission Status |url=https://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/status/ |access-date=July 9, 2023 |work=[[Jet Propulsion Laboratory]] |publisher=[[National Aeronautics and Space Administration]] |archive-date=January 1, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180101025244/https://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/status/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

The probe entered the interstellar medium on November 5, 2018, at a distance of {{Convert|119.7|AU|e9mi e9km|abbr=unit|sigfig=3}} from the [[Sun]]<ref>{{cite web |author=Staff |url=https://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/where/index.html |title=Where are the Voyagers? |date=September 9, 2012 |publisher=[[NASA]] |access-date=September 9, 2012 |archive-date=March 10, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170310054307/http://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/where/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref> and moving at a velocity of {{convert|15.341|km/s|mph|abbr=on}}<ref name="missionstatus"/> relative to the Sun. ''Voyager 2'' has left the Sun's [[heliosphere]] and is traveling through the [[interstellar medium]], though still inside the [[Solar System]], joining ''Voyager 1'', which had reached the interstellar medium in 2012.<ref>{{cite news |author=[[University of Iowa]] |title=Voyager 2 reaches interstellar space – Iowa-led instrument detects plasma density jump, confirming spacecraft has entered the realm of the stars |url=https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2019-11/uoi-v2r103119.php |date=November 4, 2019 |work=[[EurekAlert!]] |access-date=November 4, 2019 |archive-date=April 13, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200413080722/https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2019-11/uoi-v2r103119.php |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Chang |first=Kenneth |title=Voyager 2's Discoveries From Interstellar Space – In its journey beyond the boundary of the solar wind's bubble, the probe observed some notable differences from its twin, Voyager 1. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/04/science/voyager-2-interstellar-solar-wind.html |date=November 4, 2019 |work=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=November 5, 2019 |archive-date=April 13, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200413080724/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/04/science/voyager-2-interstellar-solar-wind.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="gill-2018">{{cite news |last=Gill |first=Victoria |title=Nasa's Voyager 2 probe 'leaves the Solar System' |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-46502820 |date=December 10, 2018 |work=[[BBC News]] |access-date=December 10, 2018 |archive-date=December 15, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191215232828/https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-46502820 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="brown-2018">{{cite news |last1=Brown |first1=Dwayne |last2=Fox |first2=Karen |last3=Cofield |first3=Calia |last4=Potter |first4=Sean |title=Release 18–115 – NASA's Voyager 2 Probe Enters Interstellar Space |url=https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-s-voyager-2-probe-enters-interstellar-space |date=December 10, 2018 |work=[[NASA]] |access-date=December 10, 2018 |archive-date=June 27, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230627023807/https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-s-voyager-2-probe-enters-interstellar-space/ |url-status=live }}</ref> ''Voyager 2'' has begun to provide the first direct measurements of the density and temperature of the interstellar [[Plasma (physics)|plasma]].<ref name=":353199">{{cite news |url=https://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/353199/description/At_last_Voyager_1_slips_into_interstellar_space |title=At last, Voyager 1 slips into interstellar space – Atom & Cosmos |work=[[Science News]] |date=September 12, 2013 |access-date=September 17, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130915214546/http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/353199/description/At_last_Voyager_1_slips_into_interstellar_space |archive-date=September 15, 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

''Voyager 2'' is in contact with Earth through the [[NASA Deep Space Network]].<ref>NASA [http://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/index.html Voyager – The Interstellar Mission Mission Overview] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110502011335/http://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/index.html |date=May 2, 2011 }}</ref>  Communications are the responsibility of [[Australia]]'s [[Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex|DSS 43 communication antenna]], near [[Canberra]].<ref name="shannon stirone-2021">{{cite news |author1=[[Shannon Stirone]]|title=Earth to Voyager 2: After a Year in the Darkness, We Can Talk to You Again – NASA's sole means of sending commands to the distant space probe, launched 44 years ago, is being restored on Friday. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/12/science/nasa-voyager-deep-space-network.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20211228/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/12/science/nasa-voyager-deep-space-network.html |archive-date=December 28, 2021 |url-access=limited |date=February 12, 2021 |work=[[The New York Times]] |accessdate=February 14, 2021 }}{{cbignore}}</ref>

== History ==
{{further|Grand Tour program}}

=== Background ===
{{Main|Mariner Jupiter-Saturn}}
In the early space age, it was realized that a [[Syzygy (astronomy)|periodic alignment]] of the outer planets would occur in the late 1970s and enable a single probe to visit [[Jupiter]], [[Saturn]], [[Uranus]], and [[Neptune]] by taking advantage of the then-new technique of [[gravity assist]]s. [[NASA]] began work on a [[Grand Tour program|Grand Tour]], which evolved into a massive project involving two groups of two probes each, with one group visiting Jupiter, Saturn, and Pluto and the other Jupiter, Uranus, and Neptune. The spacecraft would be designed with redundant systems to ensure survival throughout the entire tour. By 1972 the mission was scaled back and replaced with two [[Mariner program]]-derived spacecraft, the Mariner Jupiter-Saturn probes. To keep apparent lifetime program costs low, the mission would include only flybys of Jupiter and Saturn, but keep the Grand Tour option open.<ref name="butrica" />{{rp|263}} As the program progressed, the name was changed to Voyager.<ref>[https://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/science/planetary.html Planetary Voyage] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130826105129/http://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/science/planetary.html |date=August 26, 2013 }} [[NASA]] [[Jet Propulsion Laboratory]] – California Institute of Technology. March 23, 2004. Retrieved April 8, 2007.</ref>

The primary mission of ''Voyager 1'' was to explore Jupiter, Saturn, and Saturn's largest moon, [[Titan (moon)|Titan]]. ''Voyager 2'' was also to explore Jupiter and Saturn, but on a trajectory that would have the option of continuing on to Uranus and Neptune, or being redirected to Titan as a backup for ''Voyager 1''. Upon successful completion of ''Voyager 1''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s objectives, ''Voyager 2'' would get a mission extension to send the probe on towards Uranus and Neptune.<ref name="butrica">{{cite book |last1=Butrica |first1=Andrew |title=From Engineering Science to Big Science |page=267 |url=https://history.nasa.gov/SP-4219/Chapter11.html |access-date=September 4, 2015 |quote=Despite the name change, Voyager remained in many ways the Grand Tour concept, though certainly not the Grand Tour (TOPS) spacecraft. |archive-date=February 29, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200229064831/https://history.nasa.gov/SP-4219/Chapter11.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
Titan was selected due to the interest developed after the images taken by ''[[Pioneer 11]]'' in 1979, which had indicated the atmosphere of the moon was substantial and complex. Hence the trajectory was designed for optimum Titan flyby.<ref>{{Cite book |last=David W. Swift |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=E-NGFqfq1LsC&pg=PA69 |title=Voyager Tales: Personal Views of the Grand Tour |date=January 1, 1997 |publisher=AIAA |isbn=978-1-56347-252-7 |page=69}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Jim Bell |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KXPoAwAAQBAJ&pg=PT93 |title=The Interstellar Age: Inside the Forty-Year Voyager Mission |date=February 24, 2015 |publisher=Penguin Publishing Group |isbn=978-0-698-18615-6 |pages=93}}</ref>

=== Spacecraft design ===
Constructed by the [[Jet Propulsion Laboratory]] (JPL), ''Voyager 2'', whose [[Satellite bus|bus]] is shaped like a decagonal prism, included 16 [[hydrazine]] thrusters, [[three-axis stabilization]], [[gyroscopes]] and celestial referencing instruments (a Sun sensor, and a [[Canopus]] [[star tracker]]) to maintain pointing of the [[high-gain antenna]] toward Earth. Collectively these instruments are part of the [[Spacecraft attitude determination and control|Attitude and Articulation Control]] Subsystem (AACS) along with redundant units of most instruments and 8 backup thrusters. The spacecraft also included 11 scientific instruments to study celestial objects as it traveled through space.<ref name="nasa-1989">{{cite web |url=https://starbrite.jpl.nasa.gov/ds-view/pds/viewHostProfile.jsp?INSTRUMENT_HOST_ID=VG2 |title=Voyager 2: Host Information |date=1989 |publisher=NASA |access-date=January 2, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170220172046/https://starbrite.jpl.nasa.gov/ds-view/pds/viewHostProfile.jsp?INSTRUMENT_HOST_ID=VG2 |archive-date=February 20, 2017}}</ref>

==== Communications ====
Built with the intent for eventual interstellar travel, ''Voyager 2'' included a large, {{convert|3.7|m|ft|abbr=on}} parabolic, [[high-gain antenna]] ([[:File:Voyager Program - High-gain antenna diagram.png|see diagram]]) to transceive data via the [[Deep Space Network]] on Earth. Communications are conducted over the [[S-band]] (about 13&nbsp;cm wavelength) and [[X-band]] (about 3.6&nbsp;cm wavelength) providing data rates as high as 115.2 kilobits per second at the distance of Jupiter, and then ever-decreasing as distance increases, because of the [[inverse-square law]].<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Ludwig |first1=Roger |last2=Taylor |first2=Jim |date=2013 |title=Voyager Telecommunications |url=https://voyager.gsfc.nasa.gov/Library/DeepCommo_Chapter3--141029.pdf |url-status=live |access-date=August 7, 2023 |archive-date=August 8, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230808014706/https://voyager.gsfc.nasa.gov/Library/DeepCommo_Chapter3--141029.pdf }}</ref> When the spacecraft [[Line-of-sight propagation|is unable to communicate with Earth]], the Digital Tape Recorder (DTR) can record about 64 megabytes of data for transmission at another time.<ref>{{cite web |title=NASA News Press Kit 77–136 |publisher=JPL/NASA |url=http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=9476.0;attach=591860 |access-date=December 15, 2014 |archive-date=May 29, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190529081627/https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=9476.0;attach=591860 |url-status=live }}</ref>

==== Power ====
[[File:MHW-RTG.gif|thumb|Voyager RTG unit]]
''Voyager 2'' is equipped with three [[MHW-RTG|multihundred-watt radioisotope thermoelectric generators]] (MHW RTGs). Each RTG includes 24 pressed [[Plutonium(IV) oxide|plutonium oxide]] spheres. At launch, each RTG provided enough heat to generate approximately 157 W of electrical power. Collectively, the RTGs supplied the spacecraft with 470 watts at launch (halving every 87.7 years). They were predicted to allow operations to continue until at least 2020, and continued to provide power to five scientific instruments through the early part of 2023. In April 2023 JPL began using a reservoir of backup power intended for an onboard safety mechanism. As a result, all five instruments had been expected to continue operation through 2026.<ref name="nasa-1989" /><ref name="us national space science data center"/><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Furlong |first1=Richard R. |last2=Wahlquist |first2=Earl J. |date=1999 |title=U.S. space missions using radioisotope power systems |journal=Nuclear News |volume=42 |issue=4 |pages=26–34 |url=http://www2.ans.org/pubs/magazines/nn/pdfs/1999-4-2.pdf |access-date=January 2, 2011 |archive-date=October 16, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181016011258/http://www3.ans.org/pubs/magazines/nn/pdfs/1999-4-2.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="newpower">{{cite web |title=NASA's Voyager Will Do More Science With New Power Strategy |url=https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasas-voyager-will-do-more-science-with-new-power-strategy |publisher=NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory |access-date=April 28, 2023 |archive-date=April 27, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230427182016/https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasas-voyager-will-do-more-science-with-new-power-strategy |url-status=live }}</ref> In October 2024 NASA announced that the plasma science instrument had been turned off, preserving power for the remaining four instruments.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://blogs.nasa.gov/voyager/2024/10/01/nasa-turns-off-science-instrument-to-save-voyager-2-power/ | title=NASA Turns Off Science Instrument to Save Voyager 2 Power |date=October 1, 2024 |publisher=NASA}}</ref>

==== Attitude control and propulsion ====
Because of the energy required to achieve a Jupiter trajectory boost with an {{convert|825|kg|lb|adj=on}} payload, the spacecraft included a propulsion module made of a {{convert|1123|kg|lb|adj=on}} solid-rocket motor and eight hydrazine [[monopropellant rocket]] engines, four providing pitch and yaw [[Spacecraft attitude determination and control|attitude control]], and four for roll control. The propulsion module was jettisoned shortly after the successful Jupiter burn.

Sixteen [[hydrazine]] Aerojet MR-103 thrusters on the mission module provide attitude control.<ref>{{cite web |title=MR-103 |url=http://www.astronautix.com/m/mr-103.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161228025700/http://astronautix.com/m/mr-103.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=December 28, 2016 |website=Astronautix.com |access-date=December 11, 2018}}</ref> Four are used to execute trajectory correction maneuvers; the others in two redundant six-thruster branches, to stabilize the spacecraft on its three axes. Only one branch of attitude control thrusters is needed at any time.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Voyager Backgrounder |url=https://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19810001583.pdf#page=21 |website=Nasa.gov |date=October 1980 |publisher=Nasa | bibcode=1980voba.rept...... |access-date=December 11, 2018 |archive-date=June 9, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190609064757/https://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19810001583.pdf#page=21 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Thrusters are supplied by a single {{convert|70|cm|in|adj=on|sp=us}} diameter spherical titanium tank. It contained {{convert|100|kg|lb}} of hydrazine at launch, providing enough fuel until 2034.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Koerner |first1=Brendan |title=What Fuel Does Voyager 1 Use? |url=https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2003/11/what-voyager-1-uses-for-fuel.html |website=Slate.com |access-date=December 11, 2018 |date=November 6, 2003 |archive-date=December 11, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181211192625/https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2003/11/what-voyager-1-uses-for-fuel.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

==== Scientific instruments ====
{{Main|Voyager program}}
<div class="noresize">
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! scope="col" style="width:135px;"| Instrument name
! scope="col" style="width:50px;"| Abr.
! Description
|-
| {{partial|Imaging Science System <br />{{small|(disabled)}}}}
| (ISS)
| style="text-align:left;" | Utilized a two-camera system (narrow-angle/wide-angle) to provide imagery of the outer planets and other objects along the trajectory.
{| class="wikitable collapsible"
|-
! colspan="2" | Filters
|-
|
{| style="text-align:center"
! colspan="4" scope="col" style="width:320px;"| Narrow Angle Camera Filters<ref>{{cite web |url=https://pds-rings.seti.org/voyager/iss/inst_cat_na2.html#filters |title=Voyager 1 Narrow Angle Camera Description |access-date=January 17, 2011 |author=NASA/JPL |date=August 26, 2003 |publisher=NASA / PDS |archive-date=October 2, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111002061657/http://pds-rings.seti.org/voyager/iss/inst_cat_na2.html#filters |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
! scope="col" style="background:#e5e5e5; width:60px;"| Name
! style="background: #e5e5e5" | Wavelength
! style="background: #e5e5e5" | Spectrum
! style="background: #e5e5e5" | Sensitivity
|-
| Clear
| <small>280–640&nbsp;nm;</small><br /><small>460&nbsp;nm center</small>
| [[File:Voyager - Filters - Clear.png|50px|center]]
| style="background:#fff;"|
|-
| [[Ultraviolet|UV]]
| <small>280–370&nbsp;nm;</small><br /><small>325&nbsp;nm center</small>
| [[File:Voyager - Filters - UV.png|50px|center]]
| style="background: #1d0036" |
|-
| Violet
| <small>350–450&nbsp;nm;</small><br /><small>400&nbsp;nm center</small>
| [[File:Voyager - Filters - Violet.png|50px|center]]
| style="background: #8300b5" |
|-
| Blue
| <small>430–530&nbsp;nm;</small><br /><small>480&nbsp;nm center</small>
| [[File:Voyager - Filters - Blue.png|50px|center]]
| style="background: #00d5ff" |
|-
| '
| <small>'</small>
| [[File:Clear.png|50px|center]]
| '
|-
| Green
| <small>530–640&nbsp;nm;</small><br /><small>585&nbsp;nm center</small>
| [[File:Voyager - Filters - Green.png|50px|center]]
| style="background: #ffef00" |
|-
| '
| <small>'</small>
| [[File:Clear.png|50px|center]]
| '
|-
| Orange
| <small>590–640&nbsp;nm;</small><br /><small>615&nbsp;nm center</small>
| [[File:Voyager - Filters - Orange.png|50px|center]]
| style="background: #ff8900" |
|-
| '
| <small>'</small>
| [[File:Clear.png|50px|center]]
| '
|}
|
{| style="text-align:center"
! colspan="4" scope="col" style="width:320px;"| Wide Angle Camera Filters<ref>{{cite web |url=https://pds-rings.seti.org/voyager/iss/inst_cat_wa2.html#filters |title=Voyager 1 Wide Angle Camera Description |access-date=January 17, 2011 |author=NASA/JPL |date=August 26, 2003 |publisher=NASA / PDS |archive-date=August 11, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110811232308/http://pds-rings.seti.org/voyager/iss/inst_cat_wa2.html#filters |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
! scope="col" style="background:#e5e5e5; width:60px;"| Name
! style="background: #e5e5e5" | Wavelength
! style="background: #e5e5e5" | Spectrum
! style="background: #e5e5e5" | Sensitivity
|-
| Clear
| <small>280–640&nbsp;nm;</small><br /><small>460&nbsp;nm center</small>
| [[File:Voyager - Filters - Clear.png|50px|center]]
| style="background:#fff;"|
|-
| '
| <small>'</small>
| [[File:Clear.png|50px|center]]
| '
|-
| Violet
| <small>350–450&nbsp;nm;</small><br /><small>400&nbsp;nm center</small>
| [[File:Voyager - Filters - Violet.png|50px|center]]
| style="background: #8300b5" |
|-
| Blue
| <small>430–530&nbsp;nm;</small><br /><small>480&nbsp;nm center</small>
| [[File:Voyager - Filters - Blue.png|50px|center]]
| style="background: #00d5ff" |
|-
| [[Methane|CH<sub>4</sub>]]-U
| <small>536–546&nbsp;nm;</small><br /><small>514&nbsp;nm center</small>
| [[File:Voyager - Filters - CH4U.png|50px|center]]
| style="background: #81ff00" |
|-
| Green
| <small>530–640&nbsp;nm;</small><br /><small>585&nbsp;nm center</small>
| [[File:Voyager - Filters - Green.png|50px|center]]
| style="background: #ffef00" |
|-
| [[Sodium|Na]]-D
| <small>588–590&nbsp;nm;</small><br /><small>589&nbsp;nm center</small>
| [[File:Voyager - Filters - NaD.png|50px|center]]
| style="background: #ffe200" |
|-
| Orange
| <small>590–640&nbsp;nm;</small><br /><small>615&nbsp;nm center</small>
| [[File:Voyager - Filters - Orange.png|50px|center]]
| style="background: #ff8900" |
|-
| [[Methane|CH<sub>4</sub>]]-JST
| <small>614–624&nbsp;nm;</small><br /><small>619&nbsp;nm center</small>
| [[File:Voyager - Filters - CH4JST.png|50px|center]]
| style="background: #ff7b00" |
|}
|}
* {{small|'''Data:''' [https://web.archive.org/web/20030507144627/http://pds-imaging.jpl.nasa.gov/Admin/resources/cd_voyager.html PDS/PDI data catalog], [https://pds-rings.seti.org/voyager/iss/raw_images.html PDS/PRN data catalog]}}
|-

| {{partial|Radio Science System<br />{{small|(disabled)}}}}
| (RSS)
| style="text-align:left;" | Utilized the telecommunications system of the Voyager spacecraft to determine the physical properties of planets and satellites (ionospheres, atmospheres, masses, gravity fields, densities) and the amount and size distribution of material in Saturn's rings and the ring dimensions.
* {{small|1='''Data:''' [https://pds-ppi.igpp.ucla.edu/search/?sc=Voyager%202&i=RSS PDS/PPI data catalog], [https://pds-rings.seti.org/voyager/rss/index.html PDS/PRN data catalog] '''('''[https://pds-rings.seti.org/vol/VG_2803_peer_review/ VG_2803]''')''', [https://web.archive.org/web/20111027022734/http://nssdcftp.gsfc.nasa.gov/spacecraft_data/voyager/voyager2/radio_science_rss/ NSSDC Saturn data archive]}}
|-

| {{partial|[[Infrared interferometer spectrometer and radiometer]] <br />{{small|(disabled)}}}}
| (IRIS)
| style="text-align:left;" | Investigates both global and local energy balance and atmospheric composition. Vertical temperature profiles are also obtained from the planets and satellites as well as the composition, thermal properties, and size of particles in [[Saturn's rings]].
* {{small|'''Data:''' [https://pds-rings.seti.org/voyager/iris/original_volume.html PDS/PRN data catalog], [https://pds-rings.seti.org/voyager/iris/expanded_volumes.html PDS/PRN expanded data catalog] '''('''[https://pds-rings.seti.org/vol/VGIRIS_0001_peer_review/ VGIRIS_0001], [https://pds-rings.seti.org/vol/VGIRIS_0002_peer_review/ VGIRIS_002]''')'''}}
|-

| {{partial|Ultraviolet [[Spectrometer]] <br />{{small|(disabled)}}}}
| (UVS)
| style="text-align:left;" | Designed to measure atmospheric properties, and to measure radiation.
* {{small|'''Data:''' [https://pds-rings.seti.org/voyager/uvs/data.html PDS/PRN data catalog]}}
|-

| {{yes|Triaxial Fluxgate [[Magnetometer]] <br />{{small|(active)}}}}
| (MAG)
| style="text-align:left;" | Designed to investigate the magnetic fields of Jupiter and Saturn, the solar-wind interaction with the magnetospheres of these planets, and the interplanetary magnetic field out to the solar wind boundary with the interstellar magnetic field and beyond, if crossed.
* {{small|1='''Data:''' [https://pds-ppi.igpp.ucla.edu/search/?sc=Voyager%202&i=MAG PDS/PPI data catalog], [https://web.archive.org/web/20061010065426/http://nssdcftp.gsfc.nasa.gov/spacecraft_data/voyager/voyager2/magnetic_fields/ NSSDC data archive]}}
|-

| {{partial|[[Plasma (physics)|Plasma]] [[Spectrometer]] <br />{{small|(disabled)}}}}
| (PLS)
| style="text-align:left;" | Investigates the macroscopic properties of the plasma ions and measures electrons in the energy range from 5 eV to 1 keV.
* {{small|1='''Data:''' [https://pds-ppi.igpp.ucla.edu/search/?sc=Voyager%202&i=PLS PDS/PPI data catalog], [https://web.archive.org/web/20061010065406/http://nssdcftp.gsfc.nasa.gov/spacecraft_data/voyager/voyager2/plasma/ NSSDC data archive]}}
|-

| {{partial|Low Energy [[Charged particle|Charged Particle]] Instrument <br />{{small|(disabled)}}}}
| (LECP)
| style="text-align:left;" | Measures the differential in energy fluxes and angular distributions of ions, electrons and the differential in energy ion composition.
* {{small|1='''Data:''' [https://voyager-mac.umd.edu/ UMD data plotting], [https://pds-ppi.igpp.ucla.edu/search/?sc=Voyager%202&i=LECP PDS/PPI data catalog], [https://web.archive.org/web/20051126100616/http://nssdcftp.gsfc.nasa.gov:80/spacecraft_data/voyager/voyager2/particle/lecp/ NSSDC data archive]}}
|-

| {{yes|[[Cosmic Ray System]] <br />{{small|(active)}}}}
| (CRS)
| style="text-align:left;" | Determines the origin and acceleration process, life history, and dynamic contribution of interstellar cosmic rays, the nucleosynthesis of elements in cosmic-ray sources, the behavior of cosmic rays in the interplanetary medium, and the trapped planetary energetic-particle environment.
* {{small|1='''Data:''' [https://pds-ppi.igpp.ucla.edu/search/?sc=Voyager%202&i=CRS PDS/PPI data catalog], [https://web.archive.org/web/20061009234128/http://nssdcftp.gsfc.nasa.gov/spacecraft_data/voyager/voyager2/particle/crs/  NSSDC data archive]}}
|-

| {{partial|Planetary [[Radio Astronomy]] Investigation <br />{{small|(disabled)}}}}
| (PRA)
| style="text-align:left;" | Utilizes a sweep-frequency radio receiver to study the radio-emission signals from Jupiter and Saturn.
* {{small|1='''Data:''' [https://pds-ppi.igpp.ucla.edu/search/?sc=Voyager%202&i=PRA PDS/PPI data catalog]}}
|-

| {{no|[[Polarimeter|Photopolarimeter]] System <br />{{small|(defective)}}}}
| (PPS)
| style="text-align:left;" | Utilized a telescope with a [[polarizer]] to gather information on surface texture and composition of Jupiter and Saturn and information on atmospheric scattering properties and density for both planets.
* {{small|'''Data:''' [https://pds-rings.seti.org/voyager/pps/data.html PDS/PRN data catalog]}}
|-

| {{yes|[[Plasma Wave Subsystem]] <br />{{small|(active)}}}}
| style="text-align:center" |(PWS)
| style="text-align:left;" | Provides continuous, sheath-independent measurements of the electron-density profiles at Jupiter and Saturn as well as basic information on local wave-particle interaction, useful in studying the magnetospheres.
* {{small|1='''Data:''' [https://pds-ppi.igpp.ucla.edu/search/?sc=Voyager%202&i=PWS PDS/PPI data catalog]}}
|}
</div>

{{Gallery| align = center
| title = Images of the spacecraft |width=175
|File:Voyager Testing 1976 PIA21732.jpg|alt2=Voyager in transport to a solar thermal test chamber | Voyager in transport to a solar thermal test chamber.
|File:Voyager 2 is encapsulated.jpg|alt4=''Voyager 2'' awaiting payload entry into a Titan IIIE/Centaur rocket | ''Voyager 2'' awaiting payload entry into a [[Titan IIIE]]/[[Centaur (rocket stage)|Centaur]] rocket.
}}

== Mission profile ==
{{Gallery|title=Images of Voyager 2's trajectory|align=center
|File:Voyager 2 skypath 1977-2030.png
 |''Voyager 2''{{'}}s trajectory from the Earth, following the ecliptic through 1989 at Neptune and now heading south into the [[Pavo (constellation)|Pavo constellation]]
|File:Voyager2 1977-2019-overview.png
 |Path viewed from above the Solar System
|File:Voyager2 1977-2019-skew.png
 |Path viewed from side, showing distance below ecliptic in gray
}}

{| class="wikitable collapsible"
! colspan="2" | Timeline of travel
|-
! scope="col" style="width:120px;"| Date
! scope="col" style="width:440px;"| Event
|-
| 1977-08-20
| Spacecraft launched at 14:29:00 UTC.
|-
| 1977-12-10
| Entered [[asteroid belt]].
|-
| 1977-12-19
| ''[[Voyager 1]]'' overtakes ''Voyager 2''. ([[:File:Voyager 1 - Voyager 2 - Voyager 1 overtakes Voyager 2.png|see diagram]])
|-
| 1978-06
| Primary radio receiver fails. The remainder of the mission flown using backup.
|-
| 1978-10-21
| Exited asteroid belt
|-
| style="vertical-align:top;" | 1979-04-25
| Start Jupiter observation phase
{| class="wikitable collapsible collapsed"
|-
! scope="col" style="width:90px;" | Time
! scope="col" style="width:350px;"| Event
|-
| '''1979-07-08'''
| '''Encounter with [[Jovian system]].'''
|-
| {{0}}{{0}}12:21
| [[Callisto (moon)|Callisto]] flyby at 214,930&nbsp;km.
|-
| '''1979-07-09'''
|
|-
| {{0}}{{0}}07:14
| [[Ganymede (moon)|Ganymede]] flyby at 62,130&nbsp;km.
|-
| {{0}}{{0}}17:53
| [[Europa (moon)|Europa]] flyby at 205,720&nbsp;km.
|-
| {{0}}{{0}}20:01
| [[Amalthea (moon)|Amalthea]] flyby at 558,370&nbsp;km.
|-
| {{0}}{{0}}22:29
| [[Jupiter]] closest approach at 721,670&nbsp;km from the center of mass.
|-
| {{0}}{{0}}23:17
| [[Io (moon)|Io]] flyby at 1,129,900&nbsp;km.
|-
| '''1979-08-05'''
| '''Phase Stop'''
|}
|-
| style="vertical-align:top;" | 1981-06-05
| Start Saturn observation phase.
{| class="wikitable collapsible collapsed"
|-
! scope="col" style="width:90px;"| Time
! scope="col" style="width:350px;"| Event
|-
| '''1981-08-22'''
| '''Encounter with [[Saturnian system]].'''
|-
| {{0}}{{0}}01:26:57
| [[Iapetus (moon)|Iapetus]] flyby at 908,680&nbsp;km.
|-
| '''1981-08-25'''
|
|-
| {{0}}{{0}}01:25:26
| [[Hyperion (moon)|Hyperion]] flyby at 431,370&nbsp;km.
|-
| {{0}}{{0}}09:37:46
| [[Titan (moon)|Titan]] flyby at 666,190&nbsp;km.
|-
| {{0}}{{0}}22:57:33
| [[Helene (moon)|Helene]] flyby at 314,090&nbsp;km.
|-
| '''1981-08-26'''
|
|-
| {{0}}{{0}}01:04:32
| [[Dione (moon)|Dione]] flyby at 502,310&nbsp;km.
|-
| {{0}}{{0}}02:22:17
| [[Calypso (moon)|Calypso]] flyby at 151,590&nbsp;km.
|-
| {{0}}{{0}}02:24:26
| [[Mimas (moon)|Mimas]] flyby at 309,930&nbsp;km.
|-
| {{0}}{{0}}03:19:18
| [[Pandora (moon)|Pandora]] flyby at 107,000&nbsp;km.
|-
| {{0}}{{0}}03:24:05
| [[Saturn]] closest approach at 161,000&nbsp;km from the center of mass.
|-
| {{0}}{{0}}03:33:02
| [[Atlas (moon)|Atlas]] 287,000&nbsp;km.
|-
| {{0}}{{0}}03:45:16
| [[Enceladus (moon)|Enceladus]] flyby at 87,010&nbsp;km.
|-
| {{0}}{{0}}03:50:04
| [[Janus (moon)|Janus]] at 223,000&nbsp;km.
|-
| {{0}}{{0}}04:05:56
| [[Epimetheus (moon)|Epimetheus]] at 147,000&nbsp;km.
|-
| {{0}}{{0}}06:02:47
| [[Telesto (moon)|Telesto]] at 270,000&nbsp;km.
|-
| {{0}}{{0}}06:12:30
| [[Tethys (moon)|Tethys]] flyby at 93,010&nbsp;km.
|-
| {{0}}{{0}}06:28:48
| [[Rhea (moon)|Rhea]] flyby at 645,260&nbsp;km.
|-
| '''1981-09-04'''
|
|-
| {{0}}{{0}}01:22:34
| [[Phoebe (moon)|Phoebe]] flyby at 2,075,640&nbsp;km.
|-
| '''1981-09-25'''
| '''Phase Stop'''
|}
|-
| style="vertical-align:top;" | 1985-11-04
| Start Uranus observation phase.
{| class="wikitable collapsible collapsed"
|-
! scope="col" style="width:90px;"| Time
! scope="col" style="width:350px;"| Event
|-
| '''1986-01-24'''
| '''Encounter with [[Uranian system]].'''
|-
| {{0}}{{0}}16:50
| [[Miranda (moon)|Miranda]] flyby at 29,000&nbsp;km.
|-
| {{0}}{{0}}17:25
| [[Ariel (moon)|Ariel]] flyby at 127,000&nbsp;km.
|-
| {{0}}{{0}}17:25
| [[Umbriel]] flyby at 325,000&nbsp;km.
|-
| {{0}}{{0}}17:25
| [[Titania (moon)|Titania]] flyby at 365,200&nbsp;km.
|-
| {{0}}{{0}}17:25
| [[Oberon (moon)|Oberon]] flyby at 470,600&nbsp;km.
|-
| {{0}}{{0}}17:59:47
| [[Uranus]] closest approach at 107,000&nbsp;km from the center of mass.
|-
| '''1986-02-25'''
| '''Phase Stop'''
|}
|-
| style="vertical-align:top;" | 1989-06-05
| Start Neptune observation phase.
{| class="wikitable collapsible collapsed"
|-
! scope="col" style="width:90px;"| Time
! scope="col" style="width:350px;"| Event
|-
| '''1989-08-25'''
| '''Encounter with [[Neptunian system]].'''
|-
| {{0}}{{0}}03:56:36
| [[Neptune]] closest approach at 4,950&nbsp;km.
|-
| {{0}}{{0}}04:41
| [[Galatea (moon)|Galatea]] flyby at 18,360&nbsp;km.
|-
| {{0}}{{0}}04:51
| [[Larissa (moon)|Larissa]] flyby at 60,180&nbsp;km.
|-
| {{0}}{{0}}05:29
| [[Proteus (moon)|Proteus]] flyby at 97,860&nbsp;km.
|-
| {{0}}{{0}}09:23
| [[Triton (moon)|Triton]] flyby at 39,800&nbsp;km.
|-
| '''1989-10-02'''
| '''Phase Stop'''
|}
|-
| 1989-10-02
| Begin Voyager Interstellar Mission.
|-
! colspan="2" scope="col" | Interstellar phase<ref>[http://www.dmuller.net/spaceflight/mission.php?mission=voyager2&appear=black&showimg=yes "Voyager 2 Full Mission Timeline"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110723095346/http://www.dmuller.net/spaceflight/mission.php?mission=voyager2&appear=black&showimg=yes |date=July 23, 2011 }} Muller, Daniel, 2010</ref><ref>[https://pds-rings.seti.org/voyager/mission/ "Voyager Mission Description"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181007014859/https://pds-rings.seti.org/voyager/mission/ |date=October 7, 2018 }} NASA, February 19, 1997</ref><ref>[https://starbrite.jpl.nasa.gov/ds-view/pds/viewMissionProfile.jsp?MISSION_NAME=VOYAGER "JPL Mission Information"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170220172041/https://starbrite.jpl.nasa.gov/ds-view/pds/viewMissionProfile.jsp?MISSION_NAME=VOYAGER |date=February 20, 2017 }} NASA, JPL, PDS.</ref>
|-
| 1998-11-13
| Terminate scan platform and UV observations.
|-
| 2007-09-06
| Terminate data tape recorder operations.
|-
| 2008-02-22
| Terminate planetary radio astronomy experiment operations.
|-
| 2011-11-07
|Switch to backup thrusters to conserve power<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.cfm?release=2011-341&rn=news.xml&rst=3189 |title=Voyager 2 to Switch to Backup Thruster Set |date=November 5, 2011 |first=Rosemary |last=Sullivant |id=2011-341 |publisher=JPL |access-date=October 5, 2018 |archive-date=February 26, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210226001915/https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.cfm?release=2011-341&rn=news.xml&rst=3189 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
|-
| 2018-11-05
| Crossed the [[Heliopause (astronomy)|heliopause]] and entered [[interstellar space]].
|-
| 2023-07-18
| Voyager 2 overtook [[Pioneer 10]] as the second farthest spacecraft from the Sun.<ref name="sun-v2">{{Cite web|title=Distance between the Sun and Voyager 2|url=https://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/horizons_batch.cgi?batch=1&COMMAND=%27Sun%27&START_TIME=%272023-07-01%27&STOP_TIME=%272023-08-01%27&STEP_SIZE=%271%20day%27&QUANTITIES=%2720%27&CENTER=%27500@-32%27|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230709162418/https://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/horizons_batch.cgi?batch=1&COMMAND=%27Sun%27&START_TIME=%272023-07-01%27&STOP_TIME=%272023-08-01%27&STEP_SIZE=%271%20day%27&QUANTITIES=%2720%27&CENTER=%27500@-32%27|archive-date=July 9, 2023|access-date=July 18, 2023}}</ref><ref name="sun-p10">{{Cite web|title=Distance between the Sun and Pioneer 10|url=https://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/horizons_batch.cgi?batch=1&COMMAND=%27Sun%27&START_TIME=%272023-07-01%27&STOP_TIME=%272023-08-01%27&STEP_SIZE=%271%20day%27&QUANTITIES=%2720%27&CENTER=%27500@-23%27|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230714212211/https://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/horizons_batch.cgi?batch=1&COMMAND=%27Sun%27&START_TIME=%272023-07-01%27&STOP_TIME=%272023-08-01%27&STEP_SIZE=%271%20day%27&QUANTITIES=%2720%27&CENTER=%27500@-23%27|archive-date=July 14, 2023|access-date=July 18, 2023}}</ref>
|-
| 2024-10
| Turned off the plasma science instrument.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://blogs.nasa.gov/voyager/2024/10/01/nasa-turns-off-science-instrument-to-save-voyager-2-power/|title=NASA Turns Off Science Instrument to Save Voyager 2 Power – Voyager|date=October 1, 2024|website=blogs.nasa.gov}}</ref>
|-
| 2025-03-24
| Turned off the low-energy charged particle instrument.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasa-turns-off-two-voyager-science-instruments-to-extend-mission/|title=NASA Turns Off Two Voyager Science Instruments to Extend Mission|website=NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)}}</ref>
|}
{{clear}}

=== Launch and trajectory ===
The ''Voyager 2'' probe was launched on August 20, 1977, by NASA from [[Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Space Launch Complex 41|Space Launch Complex 41]] at [[Cape Canaveral, Florida]], aboard a [[Titan IIIE]]/[[Centaur (rocket stage)|Centaur]] [[carrier rocket|launch vehicle]]. Two weeks later, the twin ''Voyager 1'' probe was launched on September 5, 1977. However, ''Voyager 1'' reached both Jupiter and Saturn sooner, as ''Voyager 2'' had been launched into a longer, more circular trajectory.<ref name="nasajpl">{{Cite web |url=https://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/frequently-asked-questions/fact-sheet/ |access-date=June 9, 2024 |website=NASA/JPL |title=Voyager - Fact Sheet |archive-date=April 13, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200413080739/https://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/frequently-asked-questions/fact-sheet/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="fastfacts">{{Cite web |url=https://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/frequently-asked-questions/fast-facts/ |access-date=June 9, 2024 |website=NASA/JPL |title=Voyager - Fast Facts |archive-date=May 22, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220522131332/https://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/frequently-asked-questions/fast-facts/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

''Voyager 1''{{'}}s initial orbit had an [[aphelion]] of {{Convert|8.9|AU|e6mi e9km|abbr=unit}}<!-- gradually increasing to 9.1 AU because of perturbations -->, just a little short of Saturn's orbit of {{Convert|9.5|AU|e6mi e9km|abbr=unit}}. Whereas, ''Voyager 2''{{'}}s initial orbit had an aphelion of {{Convert|6.2|AU|e6mi e6km|abbr=unit}}<!-- gradually increasing to 6.7 AU because of perturbations -->, well short of Saturn's orbit.<ref>[https://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/horizons.cgi HORIZONS] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121007034731/https://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/horizons.cgi |date=October 7, 2012 }}, JPL Solar System Dynamics (Ephemeris Type ELEMENTS; Target Body: Voyager ''n'' (spacecraft); Center: Sun (body center); Time Span: ''launch + 1 month'' to ''Jupiter encounter – 1 month'')</ref>

In April 1978, no commands were transmitted to ''Voyager 2'' for a period of time, causing the spacecraft to switch from its primary radio receiver to its backup receiver.<ref>{{cite web |title=40 Years Ago: Voyager 2 Explores Jupiter – NASA |url=https://www.nasa.gov/history/40-years-ago-voyager-2-explores-jupiter/ |access-date=April 4, 2024 |date=July 8, 2019 |archive-date=April 4, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240404165002/https://www.nasa.gov/history/40-years-ago-voyager-2-explores-jupiter/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Sometime afterwards, the primary receiver failed altogether. The backup receiver was functional, but a failed capacitor in the receiver meant that it could only receive transmissions that were sent at a precise frequency, and this frequency would be affected by the Earth's rotation (due to the [[Doppler effect]]) and the onboard receiver's temperature, among other things.<ref>{{cite book |title=Planets Beyond: Discovering the Outer Solar System |last=Littmann |first=Mark |year=2004 |publisher=[[Courier Corporation]] |page=106 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RoJMadct4TQC&pg=PA106 |isbn=978-0-486-43602-9}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |last=Davies |first=John |date=January 23, 1986 |title=Voyage to the tilted planet |url= |magazine=New Scientist |page= |pages=39–42 |volume=109 |issue=1492 |id=[[Google Books]] [https://www.google.com/books/edition/New_Scientist/sIkoAAAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=%22Voyage%20to%20the%20tilted%20planet%22%20%22Davies%22 sIkoAAAAMAAJ], [https://www.google.com/books/edition/New_Scientist/vdc-AQAAIAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=%22Voyage%20to%20the%20tilted%20planet%22%20%22Davies%22 vdc-AQAAIAAJ]. [[HathiTrust]] [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015038787464&q1=%22Voyage+to+the+tilted+planet%22&start=1 mdp.39015038787464], [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc1.31822015726458&q1=%22Voyage+to+the+tilted+planet%22&start=1 uc1.31822015726458].}}</ref>

<gallery class="center" widths="200" heights="200">
File:Titan 3E Centaur launches Voyager 2.jpg|''Voyager 2'' launch on August 20, 1977, with a [[Titan IIIE]]/[[Centaur (rocket stage)|Centaur]]
File:Animation of Voyager 2 trajectory.gif|Animation of ''Voyager 2''{{'s}} trajectory from August 20, 1977, to December 30, 2000<br />{{legend2|magenta| ''Voyager 2'' }}{{·}}{{legend2|Royalblue|Earth}}{{·}}{{legend2|Lime|[[Jupiter]]}} {{·}}{{legend2| Cyan |[[Saturn]]}}{{·}}{{legend2| Gold |[[Uranus]] }}{{·}}{{legend2| OrangeRed |[[Neptune]] }}{{·}}{{legend2| Yellow |[[Sun]] }}
File:Voyager 2 path.svg|Trajectory of ''Voyager 2'' primary mission
File:Voyager 2 velocity vs distance from sun.svg|Plot of ''Voyager 2''{{'s}} heliocentric velocity against its distance from the Sun, illustrating the use of gravity assists to accelerate the spacecraft by Jupiter, Saturn and Uranus.{{efn-ua|To observe [[Triton (moon)|Triton]], ''Voyager 2'' passed over Neptune's north pole, resulting in an acceleration out of the plane of the ecliptic, and, as a result, a reduced velocity relative to the Sun.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/basics/bsf4-1.php |title=Basics of space flight: Interplanetary Trajectories |access-date=October 5, 2018 |archive-date=September 4, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150904150022/https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/basics/bsf4-1.php |url-status=live }}</ref>}}
</gallery>

=== Encounter with Jupiter ===
{{Further|Exploration of Jupiter}}
[[File:Animation of Voyager 2's trajectory around Jupiter.gif|thumb|Animation of ''Voyager 2''{{'}}s trajectory around Jupiter<br />{{legend2| Magenta |''Voyager 2''}}{{·}}{{legend2| RoyalBlue |Jupiter}}{{·}}{{legend2|Lime|Io}}{{·}}{{legend2|Cyan|Europa}}{{·}}{{legend2|Gold|Ganymede}}{{·}}{{legend2|OrangeRed|Callisto}}]]
[[File:Voyager-2 Jupiter-flyby July-10-1979.png|thumb|The trajectory of ''Voyager 2'' through the Jovian system]]
''Voyager 2''{{'}}s closest approach to Jupiter occurred at 22:29 UT on July 9, 1979.<ref name="national aeronautics and space administration" /> It came within {{convert|570,000|km|mi|abbr=on}} of the planet's cloud tops.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/history/70s/Voyager2_1979.htm |title=History |website=www.jpl.nasa.gov |access-date=October 5, 2018 |archive-date=April 16, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220416064548/https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/history/70s/Voyager2_1979.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref>
Jupiter's [[Great Red Spot]] was revealed as a complex storm moving in a counterclockwise direction. Other smaller storms and eddies were found throughout the banded clouds.<ref name="pdsseti">{{Cite web |title=Voyager Mission Description |url=https://pds-rings.seti.org/voyager/mission/#v2_jupiterencounter |access-date=2024-06-22 |website=pdsseti |archive-date=October 7, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181007014859/https://pds-rings.seti.org/voyager/mission/#v2_jupiterencounter |url-status=live }}</ref>

''Voyager 2'' returned images of Jupiter, as well as its moons [[Amalthea (moon)|Amalthea]], [[Io (moon)|Io]], [[Callisto (moon)|Callisto]], [[Ganymede (moon)|Ganymede]], and [[Europa (moon)|Europa]].<ref name="national aeronautics and space administration" /> During a 10-hour "volcano watch", it confirmed ''Voyager 1''{{'}}s observations of active [[Volcanism on Io|volcanism on the moon Io]], and revealed how the moon's surface had changed in the four months since the previous visit.<ref name="national aeronautics and space administration"/> Together, the Voyagers observed the eruption of nine volcanoes on Io, and there is evidence that other eruptions occurred between the two Voyager fly-bys.<ref name="nasajpl"/>

Jupiter's moon [[Europa (moon)|Europa]] displayed a large number of intersecting linear features in the low-resolution photos from ''Voyager 1''. At first, scientists believed the features might be deep cracks, caused by crustal rifting or tectonic processes. Closer high-resolution photos from ''Voyager 2'', however, were puzzling: the features lacked topographic relief, and one scientist said they "might have been painted on with a felt marker".<ref name="nasajpl" /> Europa is internally active due to tidal heating at a level about one-tenth that of Io. Europa is thought to have a thin crust (less than {{convert|30|km|mi|abbr=on}} thick) of water ice, possibly floating on a {{Convert|50|km|mi|abbr=unit|adj=on}}-deep ocean.<ref name="nasajpl"/><ref name="fastfacts"/>

Two new, small satellites, [[Adrastea (moon)|Adrastea]] and [[Metis (moon)|Metis]], were found orbiting just outside the ring.<ref name="nasajpl" /> A third new satellite, [[Thebe (moon)|Thebe]], was discovered between the orbits of Amalthea and Io.<ref name="nasajpl" />

{{Gallery| align = center
| style="width:175px;"|File:Jupiter - Region from the Great Red Spot to the South Pole.jpg|alt1=The Great Red Spot photographed during the Voyager 2 flyby of Jupiter | The [[Great Red Spot]] photographed during the ''Voyager 2'' flyby of [[Jupiter]]
|File:Voyager 2 Jupiter Io.jpg|alt2=A transit of Io across Jupiter, July 9, 1979 | A transit of [[Io (moon)|Io]] across [[Jupiter]], July 9, 1979
|File:Io - July 10 1979 (34593324401).jpg|alt3=Several faint volcanic eruptions on Io, photographed by Voyager 2 | Several faint [[volcano|volcanic]] eruptions on [[Io (moon)|Io]], photographed by ''Voyager 2''
|File:Crescent Europa - GPN-2000-000469.jpg|alt4=A color mosaic of Europa | A color mosaic of [[Europa (moon)|Europa]]
}}

=== Encounter with Saturn ===
{{Further|Exploration of Saturn}}
The closest approach to Saturn occurred at 03:24:05 UT on August 26, 1981.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/EventQuery.jsp |title=NASA – NSSDCA – Master Catalog – Event Query |website=nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov |access-date=October 5, 2018 |archive-date=March 26, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190326020912/https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/EventQuery.jsp |url-status=live }}</ref> When ''Voyager 2'' passed behind Saturn, viewed from Earth, it utilized its radio link to investigate Saturn's upper atmosphere, gathering data on both temperature and pressure. In the highest regions of the atmosphere, where the pressure was measured at {{Convert|70|mbar|psi|abbr=unit}},<ref>{{cite web |title=Saturn Approach |url=https://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/science/saturn/ |publisher=[[Jet Propulsion Laboratory]] |access-date=September 8, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230809220343/https://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/science/saturn/ |archive-date=August 9, 2023 |url-status=live}}</ref> ''Voyager 2'' recorded a temperature of {{Convert|82|K|C F|abbr=unit}}. Deeper within the atmosphere, where the pressure was recorded to be {{Convert|1200|mbar|psi|abbr=unit}}, the temperature rose to {{Convert|143|K|C F|abbr=unit}}.<ref name="jet propulsion laboratory" /> The spacecraft also observed that the north pole was approximately {{Convert|10|C-change|F-change}} cooler at {{Convert|100|mbar|psi|abbr=unit}} than mid-latitudes, a variance potentially attributable to seasonal shifts<ref name="jet propulsion laboratory" /> (''see also [[Saturn#Best viewing|Saturn Oppositions]]'').

After its Saturn fly-by, ''Voyager 2''{{'}}s scan platform experienced an anomaly causing its azimuth actuator to seize. This malfunction led to some data loss and posed challenges for the spacecraft's continued mission. The anomaly was traced back to a combination of issues, including a design flaw in the actuator shaft bearing and gear lubrication system, corrosion, and debris build-up. While overuse and depleted lubricant were factors,<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Laeser |first1=Richard P. |publisher=[[Jet Propulsion Laboratory]] |title=Engineering the voyager uranus mission |journal=[[Acta Astronautica]] |year=1987 |volume=16 |pages=75–82 |doi=10.1016/0094-5765(87)90096-8 |url=https://archive.org/details/sim_acta-astronautica_1987_16/page/80/mode/2up |access-date=September 8, 2023 |bibcode=1986inns.iafcQ....L}}</ref> other elements, such as dissimilar metal reactions and a lack of relief ports, compounded the problem. Engineers on the ground were able to issue a series of commands, rectifying the issue to a degree that allowed the scan platform to resume its function.<ref>{{cite web |author1=Jet Propulsion Laboratory |author1-link=JPL |title=Lesson 394: Voyager Scan Platform Problems |url=https://llis.nasa.gov/lesson/394 |website=NASA Public Lessons Learned System |publisher=[[NASA]] |access-date=September 8, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230908075606/https://llis.nasa.gov/lesson/394 |archive-date=September 8, 2023 |date=May 30, 1995 |url-status=live}}</ref> ''Voyager 2'', which would have been diverted to perform the Titan flyby if ''Voyager 1'' had been unable to, did not pass near Titan due to the malfunction, and subsequently, proceeded with its mission to explore the Uranian system.<ref>{{cite book|author=Bell, Jim|title=The Interstellar Age: Inside the Forty-Year Voyager Mission|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KXPoAwAAQBAJ&pg=PT93|date=February 24, 2015|publisher=Penguin Publishing Group|isbn=978-0-698-18615-6|page=93|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160904191620/https://books.google.com/books?id=KXPoAwAAQBAJ&pg=PT93|archive-date=September 4, 2016}}</ref>{{rp|94}}

{{Gallery| align = center
| style="width:175px;"
|File:Saturn (planet) large.jpg|alt1=''Voyager 2'' Saturn approach view | ''Voyager 2'' [[Saturn]] approach view
|File:Voyager 2 - Saturn - 3115 7854 2.png|alt2=North, polar region of Saturn imaged in orange and UV filters | North, polar region of [[Saturn]] imaged in orange and UV filters
|File:Voyager 2 - Titan - 3128 7866 2.png|alt5=Atmosphere of Titan imaged from 2.3&nbsp;million km | Atmosphere of [[Titan (moon)|Titan]] imaged from 2.3&nbsp;million&nbsp;km
|File:Voyager 2 - Titan - 3092 7807 2.png|alt6=Titan occultation of the Sun from 0.9&nbsp;million km | [[Titan (moon)|Titan]] [[occultation]] of the [[Sun]] from 0.9&nbsp;million&nbsp;km
|File:Voyager 2 - Saturn Rings - 3085 7800 2.png|alt8="Spoke" features observed in the rings of Saturn | "Spoke" features observed in the [[rings of Saturn]]
}}

=== Encounter with Uranus ===
{{Further|Exploration of Uranus}}
The closest approach to Uranus occurred on January 24, 1986, when ''Voyager 2'' came within {{convert|81,500|km|mi|sp=us|abbr=unit}} of the planet's cloudtops.<ref name="uranus approach">[https://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/science/uranus/ "Uranus Approach"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180909173736/https://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/science/uranus/ |date=September 9, 2018 }} NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology. Accessed December 11, 2018.</ref> ''Voyager 2'' also discovered 11 previously unknown moons: [[Cordelia (moon)|Cordelia]], [[Ophelia (moon)|Ophelia]], [[Bianca (moon)|Bianca]], [[Cressida (moon)|Cressida]], [[Desdemona (moon)|Desdemona]], [[Juliet (moon)|Juliet]], [[Portia (moon)|Portia]], [[Rosalind (moon)|Rosalind]], [[Belinda (moon)|Belinda]], [[Puck (moon)|Puck]] and [[Perdita (moon)|Perdita]].{{efn-ua|Some sources cite the discovery of only 10 Uranian moons by ''Voyager 2'',<ref name="elizabeth landau" /><ref name="voyager 2 mission team" /> but [[Perdita (moon)|Perdita]] was discovered in ''Voyager 2'' images more than a decade after they were taken.<ref>{{cite journal |doi=10.1006/icar.2001.6597 |title=Voyager's Eleventh Discovery of a Satellite of Uranus and Photometry and the First Size Measurements of Nine Satellites |journal=Icarus |volume=151 |issue=1 |pages=69–77 |year=2001 |last1=Karkoschka |first1=E. |bibcode=2001Icar..151...69K}}</ref>}} The mission also studied the planet's unique atmosphere, caused by its [[Uranus#Axial tilt|axial tilt]] of 97.8°, and examined the [[Rings of Uranus|Uranian ring system]].<ref name="uranus approach" /> The length of a day on Uranus as measured by ''Voyager 2'' is 17 hours, 14 minutes.<ref name="uranus approach" /> Uranus was shown to have a magnetic field that was misaligned with its rotational axis, unlike other planets that had been visited to that point,<ref name="elizabeth landau" /><ref>{{Cite journal |doi=10.1088/0034-4885/56/6/001 |title=Planetary magnetospheres |journal=Reports on Progress in Physics |volume=56 |issue=6 |pages=687–732 |year=1993 |last1=Russell |first1=C. T. |bibcode=1993RPPh...56..687R|s2cid=250897924 }}</ref> and a helix-shaped magnetic tail stretching 10 million kilometers (6 million miles) away from the Sun.<ref name="elizabeth landau" />

When ''Voyager 2'' visited Uranus, much of its cloud features were hidden by a layer of haze; however, false-color and contrast-enhanced images show bands of concentric clouds around its south pole. This area was also found to radiate large amounts of ultraviolet light, a phenomenon that is called "dayglow". The average atmospheric temperature is about {{Convert|60|K|F C|abbr=unit}}. The illuminated and dark poles, and most of the planet, exhibit nearly the same temperatures at the cloud tops.<ref name="elizabeth landau" />

The ''Voyager 2'' Planetary Radio Astronomy (PRA) experiment observed 140 lightning flashes, or Uranian electrostatic discharges with a frequency of 0.9-40 MHz.<ref name="aplin-2020">{{cite journal |last1=Aplin |first1=K.L. |last2=Fischer |first2=G. |last3=Nordheim |first3=T.A. |last4=Konovalenko | first4=A. |last5=Zakharenko |first5=V. |last6=Zarka |first6= P.|title=Atmospheric Electricity at the Ice Giants |journal=Space Science Reviews |date=2020 |volume=216 |issue=2 |page=26 |doi=10.1007/s11214-020-00647-0 |arxiv=1907.07151 |bibcode=2020SSRv..216...26A }}</ref><ref name="zarka-1986">{{cite journal |last1=Zarka |first1=P. |last2=Pederson |first2=B.M. |title=Radio detection of uranian lightning by Voyager 2 |journal=Nature |date=1986 |volume=323 |issue=6089 |page=605-608 |doi=10.1038/323605a0  |bibcode=1986Natur.323..605Z }}</ref> The UEDs were detected from {{cvt|600000|km|mi}} of Uranus over 24 hours, most of which were not visible.<ref name="aplin-2020" /> However, microphysical modeling suggests that Uranian lightning occurs in convective storms occurring in deep troposphere water clouds.<ref name="aplin-2020" /> If this is the case, lightning will not be visible due to the thick cloud layers above the troposphere.<ref name="zarka-1986" /> Uranian lightning has a power of around 10<sup>8</sup> W, emits 1×10^7 J – 2×10^7 J of energy, and lasts an average of 120 ms.<ref name="zarka-1986" />

Detailed images from ''Voyager 2''{{'}}s flyby of the Uranian moon [[Miranda (moon)|Miranda]] showed huge canyons made from [[Fault (geology)|geological faults]].<ref name="elizabeth landau">Elizabeth Landau (2016) [https://www.nasa.gov/feature/jpl/voyager-mission-celebrates-30-years-since-uranus "Voyager Mission Celebrates 30 Years Since Uranus"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170505052650/https://www.nasa.gov/feature/jpl/voyager-mission-celebrates-30-years-since-uranus/ |date=May 5, 2017 }} [[National Aeronautics and Space Administration]], January 22, 2016. Accessed December 11, 2018</ref> One hypothesis suggests that Miranda might consist of a reaggregation of material following an earlier event when Miranda was shattered into pieces by a violent impact.<ref name="elizabeth landau" />

''Voyager 2'' discovered two previously unknown Uranian rings.<ref name="elizabeth landau" /><ref name="voyager 2 mission team">Voyager 2 Mission Team (2012) [https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/184/1986-voyager-at-uranus/ "1986: Voyager at Uranus"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190524214544/https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/184/1986-voyager-at-uranus/ |date=May 24, 2019 }} NASA Science: Solar System Exploration, December 14, 2012. Accessed December 11, 2018.</ref> Measurements showed that the Uranian rings are different from those at Jupiter and Saturn. The Uranian ring system might be relatively young, and it did not form at the same time that Uranus did. The particles that make up the rings might be the remnants of a moon that was broken up by either a high-velocity impact or [[Roche limit|torn up by tidal effects]].<ref name="nasajpl"/><ref name="fastfacts"/>

In March 2020, NASA astronomers reported the detection of a large atmospheric magnetic bubble, also known as a [[plasmoid]], released into [[outer space]] from the planet [[Uranus]], after reevaluating old data recorded during the flyby.<ref>{{cite news |last=Hatfield |first=Miles |title=Revisiting Decades-Old Voyager 2 Data, Scientists Find One More Secret – Eight and a half years into its grand tour of the solar system, NASA's Voyager 2 spacecraft was ready for another encounter. It was Jan. 24, 1986, and soon it would meet the mysterious seventh planet, icy-cold Uranus. |url=https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2020/revisiting-decades-old-voyager-2-data-scientists-find-one-more-secret |date=March 25, 2020 |work=[[NASA]] |access-date=March 27, 2020 |archive-date=March 27, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200327030510/https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2020/revisiting-decades-old-voyager-2-data-scientists-find-one-more-secret |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Andrews |first=Robin George |title=Uranus Ejected a Giant Plasma Bubble During Voyager 2's Visit – The planet is shedding its atmosphere into the void, a signal that was recorded but overlooked in 1986 when the robotic spacecraft flew past. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/27/science/uranus-bubble-voyager.html |date=March 27, 2020 |work=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=March 27, 2020 |archive-date=March 27, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200327215013/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/27/science/uranus-bubble-voyager.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

{{Gallery| align = center
| style="width:175px;"|File:Uranus Voyager2 color calibrated.png|alt1=Uranus as viewed by ''Voyager 2'' | Uranus as viewed by ''Voyager&nbsp;2''
|File:Uranus Final Image.jpg|alt2=Departing image of crescent Uranus | Departing image of crescent [[Uranus]]
|File:Ariel Closest Approach.jpg|alt4=Ariel imaged from 130,000&nbsp;km | [[Ariel (moon)|Ariel]] as imaged from 130,000&nbsp;km
|File:Uranian rings PIA01977 modest.jpg|alt8=Voyager 2 photo of the Rings of Uranus | The [[rings of Uranus]] imaged by ''Voyager&nbsp;2''
}}

=== Encounter with Neptune ===
{{Further|Exploration of Neptune}}

Following a course correction in 1987, ''Voyager 2''{{'}}s closest approach to Neptune occurred on August 25, 1989.<ref>{{cite news |title=Voyager Steered Toward Neptune |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/555835 |access-date=December 6, 2017 |work=Ukiah Daily Journal |date=March 15, 1987 |archive-date=December 7, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171207085743/http://www.newspapers.com/image/555835/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="nasajpl"/> Through repeated computerized test simulations of trajectories through the Neptunian system conducted in advance, flight controllers determined the best way to route ''Voyager&nbsp;2'' through the Neptune–Triton system. Since the plane of the orbit of Triton is tilted significantly with respect to the plane of the ecliptic; through course corrections, ''Voyager&nbsp;2'' was directed into a path about {{Convert|4950|km|mi|abbr=unit}} above the north pole of Neptune.<ref name="national aeronautics and space administration-2" /><ref>{{cite web |title=Neptune |url=https://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/science/neptune.html |publisher=Jet Propulsion Laboratory |access-date=March 3, 2016 |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304090349/http://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/science/neptune.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Five hours after ''Voyager 2'' made its closest approach to Neptune, it performed a close fly-by of [[Triton (moon)|Triton]], Neptune's largest moon, passing within about {{Convert|40000|km|mi|abbr=unit}}.<ref name="national aeronautics and space administration-2">[[National Aeronautics and Space Administration]] [https://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/science/neptune/ "Neptune Approach"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180909173736/https://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/science/neptune/ |date=September 9, 2018 }} NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory: California Institute of Technology. Accessed December 12, 2018.</ref>

In 1989, the ''Voyager 2'' Planetary Radio Astronomy (PRA) experiment observed around 60 lightning flashes, or Neptunian electrostatic discharges emitting energies over 7×10{{sup|8}}&nbsp;J.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Borucki |first1=W.J. |title=Predictions of lightning activity at Neptune |journal=Geophysical Research Letters |date=1989 |volume=16 |issue=8 |page=937-939 |doi=10.1029/gl016i008p00937|bibcode=1989GeoRL..16..937B }}</ref> A plasma wave system (PWS) detected 16 electromagnetic wave events with a frequency range of 50&nbsp;Hz&nbsp;– 12&nbsp;kHz at magnetic latitudes 7˚–33˚.<ref name="aplin-2020" /><ref name="gurnett-1990">{{cite journal |title=Whistlers in Neptune's magnetosphere: Evidence of atmospheric lightning |journal=Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics |date=1990 |volume=95 |page=20967-20976 |doi=10.1029/ja095ia12p20967|bibcode=1990JGR....9520967G |hdl=2060/19910002329 |hdl-access=free |last1=Gurnett |first1=D. A. |last2=Kurth |first2=W. S. |last3=Cairns |first3=I. H. |last4=Granroth |first4=L. J. |issue=A12 }}</ref> These plasma wave detections were possibly triggered by lightning over 20 minutes in the ammonia clouds of the magnetosphere.<ref name="gurnett-1990" /> During ''Voyager 2''{{'}}s closest approach to Neptune, the PWS instrument provided Neptune’s first plasma wave detections at a sample rate of 28,800 samples per second.<ref name="gurnett-1990" /> The measured plasma densities range from 10{{sup|–3}} – 10{{sup|–1}} cm{{sup|–3}}.<ref name="gurnett-1990" /><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Belcher |first1=J.W. |last2=Bridge |first2=H.S. |last3=Bagenal |first3=F. |last4=Coppi |first4=B. |last5=Divers |first5=O. |last6=Eviatar |first6=A. |last7=Gordon |first7=G.S. |last8=Lazarus |first8=A.J. |last9=McNutt |first9=R.L. |last10=Ogilvie |first10= K.W. |last11=Richardson |first11= J.D. |last12= Siscoe |first12=G.L. |last13=Sittler |first13=E.C. |last14=Steinberg |first14=J.T. |last15=Sullivan |first15=J.D. |last16=Szabo |first16=A. |last17=Villanueva |first17=L. |last18=Vasyliunas |first18=V.M. |last19=Zhang |first19=M. |title= Plasma observations near Neptune: Initial results from Voyager 2 |journal=Science |date=1989 |volume=246 |issue=4936 |pages=1478–1483 |doi=10.1126/science.246.4936.1478 |pmid=17756003 |bibcode=1989Sci...246.1478B }}</ref>

''Voyager 2'' discovered previously unknown [[Rings of Neptune|Neptunian rings]],<ref>[[National Aeronautics and Space Administration]] [https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/moons/neptune-moons/in-depth/ "Neptune Moons"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200410070225/https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/moons/neptune-moons/in-depth/ |date=April 10, 2020 }} NASA Science: Solar System Exploration. Updated December 6, 2017. Accessed December 12, 2018.</ref> and confirmed six new moons: [[Despina (moon)|Despina]], [[Galatea (moon)|Galatea]], [[Larissa (moon)|Larissa]], [[Proteus (moon)|Proteus]], [[Naiad (moon)|Naiad]] and [[Thalassa (moon)|Thalassa]].<ref name="elizabeth howell">Elizabeth Howell (2016) [https://www.space.com/22222-neptunes-moons.html "Neptune's Moons: 14 Discovered So Far"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181215172111/https://www.space.com/22222-neptunes-moons.html |date=December 15, 2018 }} ''[[Space.com]]'', June 30, 2016. Accessed December 12, 2018.</ref>{{efn-ua|One of these moons, [[Larissa (moon)|Larissa]], was first reported in 1981 from ground telescope observations, but not confirmed until the ''Voyager 2'' approach.<ref name="elizabeth howell" />}} While in the neighborhood of Neptune, ''Voyager 2'' discovered the "[[Great Dark Spot]]", which has since disappeared, according to observations by the [[Hubble Space Telescope]].<ref>Phil Plait (2016) [https://slate.com/technology/2016/06/hubble-observation-reveals-a-new-dark-spot-on-neptune.html "Neptune Just Got a Little Dark"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181215175353/https://slate.com/technology/2016/06/hubble-observation-reveals-a-new-dark-spot-on-neptune.html |date=December 15, 2018 }} ''[[Slate (magazine)|Slate]]'', June 24, 2016. Accessed December 12, 2018.</ref> The Great Dark Spot was later hypothesized to be a region of clear gas, forming a window in the planet's high-altitude methane cloud deck.<ref>[[National Aeronautics and Space Administration]] (1998) [https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/spaceimages/details.php?id=PIA01286 "Hubble Finds New Dark Spot on Neptune"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170611173537/https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/spaceimages/details.php?id=PIA01286 |date=June 11, 2017 }} NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory: California Institute of Technology, August 2, 1998. Accessed December 12, 2018.</ref>

{{Gallery| align = center
| style="width:175px;"|File:Neptune Voyager2 color calibrated.png|alt1=''Voyager 2'' image of Neptune | ''Voyager 2'' image of [[Neptune]]
|File:Voyager 2 Neptune and Triton.jpg|alt2=Neptune and Triton three days after Voyager's flyby | [[Neptune]] and [[Triton (moon)|Triton]] three days after ''Voyager 2'' flyby
|File:Neptune clouds.jpg|alt7=Cirrus clouds imaged above gaseous Neptune | [[Cirrus clouds]] imaged above gaseous [[Neptune]]
|File:Rings of Neptune PIA01997.png|alt8=Rings of Neptune taken in occultation from 280,000&nbsp;km | [[Rings of Neptune]] taken in [[occultation]] from 280,000&nbsp;km
|File:Triton moon mosaic Voyager 2 (large).jpg|alt6=Color mosaic of ''Voyager 2'' Triton | Color mosaic of ''Voyager 2'' [[Triton (moon)|Triton]]
}}

== Interstellar mission ==
[[File:PIA22924-Voyager2LeavesTheSolarSystem-20181105.jpg|thumb|right|300px|''Voyager 2'' left the heliosphere on November 5, 2018.<ref name="brown-2018" />]]
[[File:Voyager speed and distance from Sun.svg|thumb|300px|right|''Voyager 1'' and ''2'' speed and distance from Sun]]

Once its planetary mission was over, ''Voyager 2'' was described as working on an interstellar mission, which NASA is using to find out what the [[Solar System]] is like beyond the [[heliosphere]]. {{As of|2023|9}} ''Voyager 2'' is transmitting scientific data at about 160 [[bits per second]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Voyager Space Flight Operations Schedule |url=https://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/pdf/sfos2023pdf/23_09_07-23_09_25.sfos.pdf |website=Voyager Mission Status |publisher=[[Jet Propulsion Laboratory]] |access-date=September 8, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230908082427/https://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/pdf/sfos2023pdf/23_09_07-23_09_25.sfos.pdf |archive-date=September 8, 2023 |date=September 7, 2023 |url-status=live}}</ref> Information about continuing telemetry exchanges with ''Voyager 2'' is available from Voyager Weekly Reports.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/weekly-reports/index.htm |title=Voyager Weekly Reports |publisher=Voyager.jpl.nasa.gov |date=September 6, 2013 |access-date=September 14, 2013 |archive-date=September 21, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921055929/http://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/weekly-reports/index.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[File:72413main ACD97-0036-3.jpg|thumb|right|300px|alt=Official NASA map of the ''Pioneer 10'', ''Pioneer 11'', ''Voyager 1'', and ''Voyager 2'' spacecraft's trajectories through the Solar System.|NASA map showing trajectories of the ''[[Pioneer 10]]'', ''[[Pioneer 11]]'', ''[[Voyager 1]]'', and ''Voyager 2'' spacecraft.]]

In 1992, ''Voyager 2'' observed the nova [[V1974 Cygni]] in the far-ultraviolet,  first of its kind. The further increase in the brightness at those wavelengths helped in the more detailed study of the nova.<ref name="ulivi-2007" /><ref>{{Cite report |url=https://quantummechanics.ucsd.edu/ph87/ScientificAmerican/sciam_magnificant-cosmos/nova-of-century.pdf |title=V1974 Cygni 1992: The Most Important Nova of the Century |access-date=June 9, 2024 |archive-date=May 6, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230506063436/https://quantummechanics.ucsd.edu/ph87/ScientificAmerican/sciam_magnificant-cosmos/nova-of-century.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>

In July 1994, an attempt was made to observe the impacts from fragments of the comet [[Comet Shoemaker–Levy 9]] with Jupiter.<ref name="ulivi-2007" /> The craft's position meant it had a direct line of sight to the impacts and observations were made in the ultraviolet and radio spectrum.<ref name="ulivi-2007" /> ''Voyager 2'' failed to detect anything, with calculations showing that the fireballs were just below the craft's limit of detection.<ref name="ulivi-2007">{{cite book |last1=Ulivi |first1=Paolo |last2=Harland |first2=David M |date=2007 |title=Robotic Exploration of the Solar System Part I: The Golden Age 1957–1982 |publisher=Springer |page=449 |isbn=978-0-387-49326-8}}</ref>

On November 29, 2006, a telemetered command to ''Voyager 2'' was incorrectly decoded by its on-board computer—in a random error—as a command to turn on the electrical heaters of the spacecraft's magnetometer. These heaters remained turned on until December 4, 2006, and during that time, there was a resulting high temperature above {{convert|130|°C|°F|abbr=on}}, significantly higher than the magnetometers were designed to endure, and a sensor rotated away from the correct orientation.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Shuai|first=Ping|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ewcqEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA189|title=Understanding Pulsars and Space Navigations|publisher=Springer Singapore|year=2021|isbn=9789811610677|pages=189|access-date=March 20, 2023|archive-date=April 5, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230405145758/https://books.google.com/books?id=ewcqEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA189|url-status=live}}</ref>

On August 30, 2007, ''Voyager 2'' passed the [[termination shock]] and then entered into the [[heliosheath]], approximately {{Convert|1|e9mi|e9km|abbr=unit}} closer to the Sun than ''Voyager 1'' did.<ref>{{cite web |
url=https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/voyager/voyager-20071210.html |
title=NASA – Voyager 2 Proves Solar System Is Squashed |
website=www.nasa.gov |
access-date=October 5, 2018 |
archive-date=April 13, 2020 |
archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200413080741/https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/voyager/voyager-20071210.html |
url-status=live }}</ref> This is due to the [[interstellar magnetic field]] of deep space. The southern hemisphere of the Solar System's heliosphere is being pushed in.<ref>[https://www.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUSN1044867120071211 Voyager 2 finds solar system's shape is 'dented' # 2007-12-10, Week Ending December 14, 2007.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200927210726/https://www.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUSN1044867120071211 |date=September 27, 2020 }} Retrieved December 12, 2007.</ref>

On April 22, 2010, ''Voyager 2'' encountered scientific data format problems.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2010/05/06/nasa_working_on_voyager_2_data_problem/ |title=NASA working on Voyager 2 data problem |author=John Antczak |date=May 6, 2010 |agency=Associated Press |access-date=October 5, 2018 |archive-date=March 5, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305012426/http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2010/05/06/nasa_working_on_voyager_2_data_problem/ |url-status=live }}</ref> On May 17, 2010, JPL engineers revealed that a flipped bit in an on-board computer had caused the problem, and scheduled a bit reset for May 19.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.cfm?release=2010-151 |title=Engineers Diagnosing Voyager 2 Data System |publisher=[[Jet Propulsion Laboratory]] |access-date=May 17, 2010 |archive-date=June 12, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100612222643/http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.cfm?release=2010-151 |url-status=dead }}</ref> On May 23, 2010, ''Voyager 2'' resumed sending science data from deep space after engineers fixed the flipped bit.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.space-travel.com/reports/NASA_Fixes_Bug_On_Voyager_2_999.html |title=NASA Fixes Bug On Voyager 2 |access-date=May 25, 2010 |archive-date=May 27, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100527134927/http://www.space-travel.com/reports/NASA_Fixes_Bug_On_Voyager_2_999.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 2013, it was originally thought that ''Voyager 2'' would enter interstellar space in two to three years, with its plasma spectrometer providing the first direct measurements of the density and temperature of the interstellar plasma. But the Voyager project scientist, [[Edward C. Stone]] and his colleagues said they lacked evidence of what would be the key signature of interstellar space: a shift in the direction of the magnetic field.<ref name=":353199"/> Finally, in December 2018, Stone announced that ''Voyager 2'' reached interstellar space on November 5, 2018.<ref name="gill-2018" /><ref name="brown-2018" />

[[File:PIA22921-Voyager2-Position-20181210.jpg|thumb|center|600px|The position of ''Voyager 2'' in December 2018. Note the vast distances condensed into a [[logarithmic scale]]: Earth is one astronomical unit (AU) from the Sun; Saturn is at 10 AU, and the heliopause is at around 120 AU. Neptune is 30.1 AU from the Sun; thus the edge of interstellar space is around four times as far from the Sun as the last planet.<ref name="brown-2018" />]]

Maintenance to the Deep Space Network cut outbound contact with the probe for eight months in 2020. Contact was reestablished on November 2, when a series of instructions was transmitted, subsequently executed, and relayed back with a successful communication message.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Dockrill|first=Peter|date=November 5, 2020|title=NASA finally makes contact with Voyager 2 after longest radio silence in 30 years|work=Live Science|url=https://www.livescience.com/nasa-makes-contact-voyager-2-long-radio-silence.html|access-date=November 5, 2020|archive-date=November 5, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201105133231/https://www.livescience.com/nasa-makes-contact-voyager-2-long-radio-silence.html|url-status=live}}</ref> On February 12, 2021, full communications were restored after a major ground station antenna upgrade that took a year to complete.<ref name="shannon stirone-2021" />

In October 2020, astronomers reported a significant unexpected increase in density in the [[outer space|space]] beyond the [[Solar System]] as detected by the ''Voyager 1'' and ''Voyager 2''; this implies that "the density gradient is a large-scale feature of the [[Interstellar medium#Structures|VLISM]] (very local [[interstellar medium]]) in the general direction of the [[Heliosphere#Outer structure|heliospheric nose]]".<ref>{{cite news |last=Starr |first=Michelle |title=Voyager Spacecraft Detect an Increase in The Density of Space Outside The Solar System |url=https://www.sciencealert.com/for-some-reason-the-density-of-space-is-higher-just-outside-the-solar-system |date=October 19, 2020 |work=[[ScienceAlert]] |access-date=October 19, 2020 |archive-date=October 19, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201019133221/https://www.sciencealert.com/for-some-reason-the-density-of-space-is-higher-just-outside-the-solar-system |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Kurth |first1=W.S. |last2=Gurnett |first2=D.A. |title=Observations of a Radial Density Gradient in the Very Local Interstellar Medium by Voyager 2 |date=August 25, 2020 |journal=[[The Astrophysical Journal Letters]] |volume=900 |number=1 |pages=L1 |doi=10.3847/2041-8213/abae58 |bibcode=2020ApJ...900L...1K |s2cid=225312823 |doi-access=free }}</ref>

On July 18, 2023, Voyager 2 overtook ''[[Pioneer 10]]'' as the second farthest spacecraft from the Sun.<ref name="sun-v2"/><ref name="sun-p10"/>

On July 21, 2023, a programming error misaligned ''Voyager 2''<nowiki/>'s high gain antenna<ref>{{Cite web |last=Inskeep |first=Steve |date=August 2, 2023 |title=NASA loses contact with Voyager Two after a programming error on Earth |url=https://www.npr.org/2023/08/02/1191519686/nasa-loses-contact-with-voyager-two-after-a-programming-error-on-earth |archive-date=August 2, 2023 |access-date=January 15, 2023 |website=NPR |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230802093328/https://www.npr.org/2023/08/02/1191519686/nasa-loses-contact-with-voyager-two-after-a-programming-error-on-earth |url-status=live }}</ref> 2 degrees away from Earth, breaking communications with the spacecraft. By August 1, the spacecraft's carrier signal was detected using multiple antennas of the [[NASA Deep Space Network|Deep Space Network]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=August 1, 2023 |title=Voyager 2: Nasa picks up 'heartbeat' signal after sending wrong command |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-66371569 |access-date=August 2, 2023 |archive-date=August 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230802095458/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-66371569 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="blogsnasagov-2023">{{Cite web |date=July 28, 2023 |title=Mission Update: Voyager 2 Communications Pause – The Sun Spot |url=https://blogs.nasa.gov/sunspot/2023/07/28/mission-update-voyager-2-communications-pause/ |access-date=July 29, 2023 |website=blogs.nasa.gov |language=en-US |archive-date=July 29, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230729144934/https://blogs.nasa.gov/sunspot/2023/07/28/mission-update-voyager-2-communications-pause/ |url-status=live }}</ref> A high-power "shout" on August 4 sent from the [[Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex|Canberra station]]<ref>{{cite news|author=Ellen Francis|date=August 5, 2023|title='Interstellar shout' restores NASA contact with lost Voyager 2 spacecraft|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/08/05/nasa-voyager2-contact-interstellar-shout/|newspaper=[[Washington Post]]|access-date=August 5, 2023|archive-date=August 5, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230805134746/https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/08/05/nasa-voyager2-contact-interstellar-shout/|url-status=live}}</ref> successfully commanded the spacecraft to reorient towards Earth, resuming communications.<ref name="blogsnasagov-2023" /><ref>{{Cite news |date=August 4, 2023 |title=Voyager 2: Nasa fully back in contact with lost space probe |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-66408851 |access-date=August 4, 2023 |archive-date=August 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230804215149/https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-66408851 |url-status=live }}</ref> As a failsafe measure, the probe is also programmed to autonomously reset its orientation to point towards Earth, which would have occurred by October 15.<ref name="blogsnasagov-2023" />

== Reductions in capabilities ==
As the power from the RTG slowly reduces, various items of equipment have been turned off on the spacecraft.<ref name="voyagerjplnasagov">{{Cite web |url=https://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/science/thirty-year-plan/ |title=Voyager – Operations Plan to the End Mission |website=voyager.jpl.nasa.gov |language=en |access-date=September 20, 2019 |archive-date=September 10, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200910162755/https://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/science/thirty-year-plan/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The first science equipment turned off on ''Voyager 2'' was the PPS in 1991, which saved 1.2 watts.<ref name="voyagerjplnasagov" />

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year || End of specific capabilities as a result of the available electrical power limitations<ref name="spacecraft lifetime"/>
|-
| 1998 || Termination of scan platform and UVS observations<ref name="voyagerjplnasagov" />
|-
| 2007 || Termination of ''Digital Tape Recorder'' (DTR) operations (It was no longer needed due to a failure on the ''High Waveform Receiver'' on the ''Plasma Wave Subsystem'' (PWS) on June 30, 2002.)<ref name="spacecraft lifetime"/>
|-
| 2008 || Power off ''Planetary Radio Astronomy Experiment'' (PRA)<ref name="voyagerjplnasagov" />
|-
| 2019  || CRS heater turned off<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=7446|title=A New Plan for Keeping NASA's Oldest Explorers Going|website=NASA/JPL|access-date=January 2, 2020|archive-date=April 13, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200413080726/https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=7446|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
| 2021 || Turn off heater for Low Energy Charged Particle instrument<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/12/science/nasa-voyager-deep-space-network.html|title=Earth to Voyager 2: After a Year in the Darkness, We Can Talk to You Again|newspaper=The New York Times|date=February 12, 2021|access-date=February 12, 2021|last1=Stirone|first1=Shannon|archive-date=February 12, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210212100818/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/12/science/nasa-voyager-deep-space-network.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
| 2023 || Software update reroutes power from the voltage regulator to keep the science instruments operating<ref name="newpower"/>
|-
| 2024 || Plasma Science instrument (PLS) turned off<ref>{{cite web |title=NASA Turns Off Science Instrument to Save Voyager 2 Power|website=[[Jet Propulsion Laboratory]] |url=https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasa-turns-off-science-instrument-to-save-voyager-2-power/|date=1 October 2024}}</ref>
|-
|2025
|Low-Energy Charged Particles (LECP) instrument terminated<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-03-10 |title=Where Are Voyager 1 and 2 Now? - NASA Science |url=https://science.nasa.gov/mission/voyager/where-are-voyager-1-and-voyager-2-now/ |access-date=2025-08-30 |language=en-US}}</ref>
|-
| 2030 approx || Can no longer power any instrument<ref>{{Cite journal|url=https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/record-breaking-voyager-spacecraft-begin-to-power-down/|title=Record-Breaking Voyager Spacecraft Begin to Power Down|journal=Scientific American|date=July 2022|doi=10.1038/scientificamerican0722-26|pmid=39016957 |access-date=August 14, 2023|archive-date=June 23, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220623222423/https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/record-breaking-voyager-spacecraft-begin-to-power-down/|url-status=live |last1=Folger |first1=T. |volume=327 |issue=1 |page=26 |url-access=subscription}}</ref>
|-
| 2036 || Out of range of the Deep Space Network<ref name="jet propulsion laboratory">{{Cite web|title=Voyager – Frequently Asked Questions|url=https://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/frequently-asked-questions/|website=Jet Propulsion Laboratory|access-date=December 11, 2018|archive-date=August 13, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230813133216/https://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/frequently-asked-questions/|url-status=live}}</ref>
|}

=== Concerns with the orientation thrusters ===
Some [[Spacecraft propulsion|thrusters]] needed to control the correct attitude of the spacecraft and to point its high-gain antenna in the direction of Earth are out of use due to clogging problems in their [[hydrazine]] injector. The spacecraft no longer has backups available for its thruster system and "everything onboard is running on single-string" as acknowledged by Suzanne Dodd, Voyager project manager at [[Jet Propulsion Laboratory|JPL]], in an interview with [[Ars Technica]].<ref name="clark-2023">{{cite web | last=Clark | first=Stephen | title=NASA wants the Voyagers to age gracefully, so it's time for a software patch | website=Ars Technica | date=October 24, 2023 | url=https://arstechnica.com/space/2023/10/nasa-wants-the-voyagers-to-age-gracefully-so-its-time-for-a-software-patch/ | access-date=October 27, 2023 | archive-date=October 27, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231027215228/https://arstechnica.com/space/2023/10/nasa-wants-the-voyagers-to-age-gracefully-so-its-time-for-a-software-patch/ | url-status=live }}</ref> NASA has decided to patch the computer software in order to modify the functioning of the remaining thrusters to slow down the clogging of the small diameter hydrazine injector jets. Before uploading the software update on the ''[[Voyager 1]]'' computer, NASA will first try the procedure with ''Voyager 2'', which is closer to Earth.<ref name="clark-2023" />

== Future of the probe ==
The probe is expected to keep transmitting weak radio messages until at least the mid-2020s, more than 48 years after it was launched.<ref name="spacecraft lifetime">{{cite web |url=https://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/spacecraft/spacecraftlife.html |title=Voyager – Spacecraft – Spacecraft Lifetime |access-date=May 25, 2008 |date=March 15, 2008 |publisher=[[NASA]] [[Jet Propulsion Laboratory]] |archive-date=March 1, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170301102317/http://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/spacecraft/spacecraftlife.html |url-status=live }}</ref> NASA says that "The Voyagers are destined—perhaps eternally—to wander the Milky Way."<ref>{{Cite web |title=Future |url=https://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/interstellar.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120514175011/http://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/interstellar.html |archive-date=May 14, 2012 |access-date=October 13, 2013 |publisher=NASA}}</ref>

''Voyager 2'' is not headed toward any particular star. The nearest star is 4.2 light-years away, and at 15.341 km/s, the spacecraft travels one light-year in about 19,541 years — during which time the nearby stars will also move substantially. In roughly 42,000 years, Voyager 2 will pass the star [[Ross 248]] (10.30 light-years away from Earth) at a distance of 1.7 light-years.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Future stellar flybys of the Voyager and Pioneer spacecraft |journal=Research Notes of the AAS |volume=3 |issue=4 |pages=59 |date=April 3, 2019 |doi=10.3847/2515-5172/ab158e |last1=Bailer-Jones |first1=Coryn A. L. |last2=Farnocchia |first2=Davide |bibcode=2019RNAAS...3...59B|arxiv=1912.03503 |s2cid=134524048 |doi-access=free }}</ref> If undisturbed for [[Timeline of the far future#Humanity and human constructs|296,000 years]], ''Voyager 2'' should pass by the star [[Sirius]] (8.6 light-years from Earth) at a distance of 4.3 light-years.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Baldwin |first1=Paul |title=NASA's Voyager 2 heads for star Sirius... by time it arrives humans will have died out |url=https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/567957/NASA-s-Voyager-2-sets-course-for-star-Sirius-by-time-it-arrives-human-race-will-be-dead |access-date=September 1, 2022 |work=Express.co.uk |date=December 4, 2017 |language=en |archive-date=September 1, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220901052903/https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/567957/NASA-s-Voyager-2-sets-course-for-star-Sirius-by-time-it-arrives-human-race-will-be-dead |url-status=live }}</ref>

== Golden record ==
{{Main|Voyager Golden Record}}
[[File:Voyager Golden Record greeting in English.ogg|thumb|left|A child's greeting in English recorded on the [[Voyager Golden Record]]]]
[[File:The Sounds of Earth Record Cover - GPN-2000-001978.jpg|thumb|150px|Voyager Golden Record]]

Both Voyager space probes carry a gold-plated [[Gramophone record|audio-visual disc]], a compilation meant to showcase the diversity of life and culture on Earth in the event that either spacecraft is ever found by any [[Extraterrestrial intelligence|extraterrestrial discoverer]].<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Ferris |first=Timothy |date=May 2012 |title=Timothy Ferris on Voyagers' Never-Ending Journey |url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/Timothy-Ferris-on-Voyagers-Never-Ending-Journey.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131104221550/http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/Timothy-Ferris-on-Voyagers-Never-Ending-Journey.html |archive-date=November 4, 2013 |access-date=August 19, 2013 |magazine=[[Smithsonian Magazine]]}}</ref><ref name="gambino">{{Cite web |last=Gambino |first=Megan |title=What Is on Voyager's Golden Record? |url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/what-is-on-voyagers-golden-record-73063839/ |access-date=January 15, 2024 |website=Smithsonian Magazine |language=en |archive-date=April 8, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200408014620/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/what-is-on-voyagers-golden-record-73063839/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The record, made under the direction of a team including [[Carl Sagan]] and [[Timothy Ferris]], includes photos of the Earth and its lifeforms, a range of scientific information, spoken greetings from people such as the [[Kurt Waldheim|Secretary-General of the United Nations]], and a medley, "Sounds of Earth", that includes the sounds of whales, a baby crying, waves breaking on a shore, and a collection of music spanning different cultures and eras including works by [[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart]], [[Blind Willie Johnson]], [[Chuck Berry]] and [[Valya Balkanska]]. Other Eastern and Western classics are included, as well as performances of indigenous music from around the world. The record also contains greetings in 55 different languages.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Voyager Golden record |url=https://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/spacecraft/goldenrec.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927062632/http://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/spacecraft/goldenrec.html/ |archive-date=September 27, 2011 |access-date=August 18, 2013 |publisher=JPL}}</ref> The project aimed to portray the richness of life on Earth and stand as a testament to human creativity and the desire to connect with the cosmos.<ref name="gambino" /><ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Ferris |first=Timothy |date=August 20, 2017 |title=How the Voyager Golden Record Was Made |url=https://www.newyorker.com/tech/annals-of-technology/voyager-golden-record-40th-anniversary-timothy-ferris |access-date=January 15, 2024 |magazine=The New Yorker |language=en-US |issn=0028-792X |archive-date=January 15, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240115000108/https://www.newyorker.com/tech/annals-of-technology/voyager-golden-record-40th-anniversary-timothy-ferris |url-status=live }}</ref>

== See also ==
{{Portal|Astronomy|Stars|Spaceflight|Outer space|Solar System}}
* [[Family Portrait (Voyager)|''Family Portrait'']]
* ''[[The Farthest]]'', a 2017 documentary on the Voyager program.
* [[List of artificial objects leaving the Solar System]]
* [[List of missions to the outer planets]]
* ''[[New Horizons]]''
* ''[[Pioneer 10]]''
* ''[[Pioneer 11]]''
* [[Timeline of artificial satellites and space probes]]
* ''[[Voyager 1]]''

== Notes ==
{{Reflist|group=upper-alpha}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== Further reading ==
* {{cite web |title=Saturn Science Results |website=Voyager Science Results at Saturn |url=https://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/science/saturn.html |access-date=February 8, 2005}}
* {{cite web |title=Uranus Science Results |website=Voyager Science Results at Uranus |url=https://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/science/uranus.html |access-date=February 8, 2005}}
* Nardo, Don (2002). ''Neptune.'' Thomson Gale. {{ISBN|0-7377-1001-2}}
* [https://descanso.jpl.nasa.gov/DPSummary/Descanso4--Voyager_new.pdf JPL Voyager Telecom Manual]

== External links ==
{{Commons and category}}
* [https://science.nasa.gov/mission/voyager/ NASA Voyager website]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070801230949/http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/profile.cfm?MCode=Voyager_2 Voyager 2 Mission Profile] by [https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/ NASA's Solar System Exploration]
* [https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=1977-076A ''Voyager 2'' (NSSDC Master Catalog)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170131044213/http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraftDisplay.do?id=1977-076A |date=January 31, 2017 }}

{{Voyager program}}
{{Jupiter spacecraft}}
{{Saturn spacecraft}}
{{Uranus|state=collapsed}}
{{Neptune|state=collapsed}}
{{Satellite and spacecraft instruments}}
{{NASA navbox}}
{{Solar System probes}}
{{Orbital launches in 1977}}
{{Extreme motion}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Voyager program|*]]
[[Category:1977 in spaceflight]]
[[Category:1977 in the United States]]
[[Category:1977 robots]]
[[Category:August 1977 in the United States]]
[[Category:Individual space vehicles]]
[[Category:Missions to Jupiter]]
[[Category:Missions to Neptune]]
[[Category:Missions to Saturn]]
[[Category:Missions to Uranus]]
[[Category:NASA space probes]]
[[Category:Nuclear-powered robots]]
[[Category:Radio frequency propagation]]
[[Category:Spacecraft escaping the Solar System]]
[[Category:Spacecraft launched by Titan rockets]]
[[Category:Spacecraft launched in 1977]]