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Spacecraft escaping the Solar System

This page shows the current positions and other interesting data of the five spacecraft which are leaving the Solar System on escape trajectories - our first emissaries to the stars. The graphics and data table are generated dynamically and so always represent the latest positions. The New Horizons spacecraft on its way to Pluto has been added to the table, and now the charts too.

View of orbit from above ecliptic plane
View from 10 degrees above ecliptic plane

  Pioneer 10 Pioneer 11 Voyager 2 Voyager 1 New Horizons
Distance from Sun (AU) 105.211 85.025 97.674 119.725 22.425
Speed relative to Sun (km/s) 12.046 11.391 15.447 17.050 15.480
Speed relative to Sun (AU/year) 2.541 2.403 3.258 3.597 3.266
Ecliptic Latitude 3.0° 14.3° -34.0° 35.0° 1.8°
Declination (J2000) 25.87° -8.81° -55.29° 12.03° -21.17°
Right Ascension (J2000) 5.087 hrs 18.764 hrs 19.890 hrs 17.190 hrs 18.838 hrs
Constellation Tau Sct Tel Oph Sgr
Distance from Earth (AU) 104.779 85.752 98.360 120.043 23.168
One-way light time (hours) 14.52 11.89 13.63 16.64 3.21
Magnitude of Sun from spacecraft -16.6 -17.1 -16.8 -16.3 -19.9
Spacecraft still functioning ? No No Yes Yes Yes
Launch date Mar 3, 1972 Apr 6, 1973 Aug 20, 1977 Sep 5, 1977 Jan 19, 2006


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