39 years ago Voyager 1 became the second spacecraft to fly by Saturn
On 12 November 1980, the Voyager 1 became the second spacecraft to fly by Saturn. NASA's twin Voyager probes – Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 were launched in 1977 to explore the outer planets in our solar system. Its main objectives were to conduct close-up studies of Jupiter and Saturn, Saturn’s rings, and the larger moons of the two planets. Built to last 5 years, the spacecraft is in interstellar space today and still operating 38 years after launch. Voyager 1 passed Jupiter on March 5, 1979, and Saturn on November 12, 1980. Its current velocity is about 38,000 miles per hour. At the time, our solar system’s outer planets were in a rare geometric arrangement, which only occurs about every 175 years. Voyager 1 and its sister ship Voyager 2 have been flying longer than any other spacecraft in history.
