Where Is Voyager 2 Now?

As of June 2026, Voyager 2 is in interstellar space—what does that mean for its location?

Breaking free from our Sun’s magnetic grip isn’t just symbolic. Voyager 2 became the second human-made object to escape the heliosphere in November 2018. Now it’s cruising through the sparse gas and dust drifting between stars—what NASA calls the interstellar medium. Out here, the Sun’s protective solar wind bubble ends, and the raw material of the galaxy takes over.

As of June 2026, Voyager 2 is located in the constellation Telescopium, drifting toward the star Ross 248.

Don’t bother grabbing your telescope. Voyager 2 isn’t parked near any bright stars—it’s a tiny speck drifting through the Milky Way’s galactic disk in the direction of Telescopium. It left the heliosphere years ago, but the Sun’s gravity still holds it loosely in its grip. Even now, its signal—weaker than a refrigerator bulb—takes about 20 hours to reach us. You can watch its real-time position on NASA’s Voyager mission page.

Its route wasn’t accidental. Back in the late 1970s, the planets lined up just right—a once-in-several-centuries event. Voyager 2 used gravity slingshots from Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune to pick up speed and change course. That path will eventually bring it within 1.7 light-years of Ross 248 in roughly 40,000 years. Universe Today has a great breakdown of its long journey ahead.

Key details about Voyager 2’s current status as of June 2026 are listed below.

The Voyager Golden Record is a 12-inch gold-plated copper disk launched with Voyager 2 in 1977.

Voyager 2 carries a copy of the Voyager Golden Record—a 12-inch gold-plated copper disk stuffed with sounds and images from Earth. Think of it as a cosmic time capsule meant for any intelligent life that might one day stumble across the spacecraft. The record includes greetings in 55 languages, music from cultures around the world, and natural sounds like thunder and ocean waves. NASA’s Golden Record site lists the full contents.

Here’s something wild: Voyager 2’s discoveries completely changed how we see the outer solar system. At Uranus, it found 10 new moons and two new rings, plus a magnetic field that’s tilted and off-center—like a wobbly top. NASA’s Voyager 2 mission overview dives into those findings. At Neptune, it spotted the Great Dark Spot, a massive storm system similar to Jupiter’s Great Red Spot.

Power is the biggest challenge now. Voyager 2 runs on three radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTGs), which convert heat from decaying plutonium-238 into electricity. Since launch, power output has dropped from 470 watts to about 250 watts today. U.S. Department of Energy explains how RTGs work. By around 2027, power may fall below what’s needed to run even the most basic systems. NASA will have to start shutting down instruments one by one. Eventually—likely by 2030—the spacecraft will go silent forever, but it’ll keep coasting through the galaxy as a silent ambassador of Earth.

You cannot visit Voyager 2 in space, but you can track its signal or see an engineering model on Earth.

Not in the way you’re imagining. Voyager 2 isn’t orbiting anything—it’s a lone machine drifting through the void. The closest you can get is tracking its signal from Earth using NASA’s Deep Space Network, with dishes in California, Spain, and Australia. NASA is currently upgrading the Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex in Australia—the only antenna with a direct line of sight to Voyager 2—to maintain contact as the spacecraft drifts farther away and its signal grows fainter. NASA’s upgrade announcement explains the effort.

If you want to see Voyager 2 up close, your best bet is the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C., where a full-scale engineering model is on display. Smithsonian’s Voyager exhibit page shows the model. Or head to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California, where the spacecraft was built and controlled during its planetary encounters. Both spots offer a tangible connection to this intrepid explorer.

Feeling nostalgic? You can even listen to Voyager 2’s faint radio “heartbeat” online through NASA’s Eyes on the Solar System tool, which simulates its position in real time. It’s humbling to think that this 49-year-old machine—built with 1970s technology—is still phoning home from the edge of the known universe.

As of September 16, 2021, Voyager 2 is 127.75 AU (19.111 billion km; 11.875 billion mi) from Earth.

As of June 2026, Voyager 2 is drifting through interstellar space, far beyond the solar system’s protective bubble.

Yes, Voyager 1 is still transmitting scientific data as of June 2026.

In about 40,000 years, Voyager 2 will pass 1.7 light-years from Ross 248.

No, Voyager 2’s cameras have been turned off since 1989 and cannot take pictures anymore.

The Voyager Golden Record is still attached to Voyager 2, drifting through interstellar space.

As of 2020, Voyager 1 is in the constellation of Ophiucus.

Voyager 1 is farther from Earth than Voyager 2.

Voyager 2 was designed to study Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune during a rare planetary alignment.

NASA expects to lose contact with Voyager 1 around 2025 when its power supply becomes insufficient.

Pluto is about 5.5 light-hours away from Earth on average.

Voyager 1 discovered a thin ring around Jupiter and two new Jovian moons, Thebe and Metis.

Voyager 1 and 2 carry instruments to study the outer planets, their moons, rings, and magnetic fields.

Voyager 2 came within 41,000 kilometers (26,000 miles) of Saturn’s cloud tops.

Voyager’s power comes from radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTGs).