On this day in space! Aug. 20, 1977: Voyager 2 launches to the outer planets
NASA's Voyager 2 spacecraft, launched on August 20, 1977, continues to transmit data from interstellar space nearly 50 years later. It remains the only mission to have visited all four gas giants in our solar system.
Why it matters
Represents a milestone in human space exploration and the longevity of deep-space scientific instrumentation.
Missions On this day in space! Aug. 20, 1977: Voyager 2 launches to the outer planets News By Hanneke Weitering Contributions by Josh Dinner Published 20 August 2026 On Aug. 20, 1977, NASA launched the Voyager 2 spacecraft on a mission to explore the outer planets.
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Click for next article Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter On Aug. 20, 1977, NASA launched the Voyager 2 spacecraft on a mission to explore the outer planets. Despite its name, this was the first of the two Voyager missions NASA launched that year.
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