Voyager 1 to Reach One Light‑Day from Earth, Alan Cummings Calls It Technological Milestone

Voyager 1 was launched from Florida on 5 September 1977. On 18 November 2026 at 10:16 GMT the spacecraft will be approximately 26 billion kilometres from Earth, a distance that light covers in one day. At that separation the radio signal sent by the probe will require about 24 hours to reach the planet. The probe continues to travel at roughly 61 000 kilometres per hour through interstellar space.

Alan Cummings, senior researcher at Caltech’s Space Radiation Laboratory and a Voyager programme participant since 1973, said the one‑light‑day distance marks a technological milestone because communication remains possible at that range.

Discrepancies

Rzeczpospolita’s digest states that the signal will take "exactly 24 hours," while Newsit.gr describes the travel time as "roughly 24 hours." The digest from Rzeczpospolita also says the distance is "more than 26 billion kilometres," whereas Newsit.gr gives the figure as "about 26 billion kilometres." Both characterisations appear in their respective reports.

Newsit.gr

The full article from Newsit.gr notes the launch date, the Florida launch site, the spacecraft’s speed of about 61 000 km/h, and the precise time of 10:16 GMT on 18 November 2026 when Voyager 1 will be one light‑day away. It quotes Alan Cummings, who told Reuters that the achievement is a "technological milestone" and highlights that the probe still communicates with scientists. The piece does not mention Voyager 2, nor does it give an exact "24‑hour" figure for the signal travel time.

“I consider it a technological milestone, marking the astonishing longevity of Voyager 1 and our ability to communicate with it at this distance.”

Rzeczpospolita

Rzeczpospolita’s digest reports that Voyager 1, launched 49 years ago, will become the first human‑made object to pass within one light‑day of Earth, a distance of more than 26 billion kilometres. It states that the radio signal will take exactly 24 hours to reach Earth. The summary does not include the launch location, the spacecraft’s speed, the quoted remark from Alan Cummings, or any reference to Voyager 2.

infomoney.com.br

The infomoney.com.br digest mentions that Voyager 1 and its twin Voyager 2 were launched 49 years ago and explored the outer planets before continuing outward. It does not refer to the upcoming one‑light‑day milestone, the distance of 26 billion kilometres, the 24‑hour signal travel time, nor any statements from scientists.

What the coverage left out

None of the digests mention the spacecraft’s speed of roughly 61 000 kilometres per hour. The infomoney.com.br digest omits any reference to the one‑light‑day distance and the 24‑hour signal travel time. Newsit.gr’s report does not discuss Voyager 2, and Rzeczpospolita’s digest does not include the quoted remark from Alan Cummings.