A new simulation is putting into perspective just how fast Voyager 1, NASA’s farthest spacecraft, is moving through space. Launched in 1977, the probe has now reached interstellar space and is traveling at around 38,000 miles per hour, or 17 kilometers per second.
To compare, a commercial airliner flies at about 575 mph, while a speeding bullet hits around 1,700 mph. In the simulation, Voyager 1 streaks across Earth’s surface so quickly that planes and bullets seem nearly frozen in place. It could cross the United States in under five minutes and orbit the entire planet in just over an hour.
What makes this even more remarkable is that the spacecraft is still sending faint signals back to Earth, despite being almost 15 billion miles away. That continued communication helps scientists study the environment of interstellar space, making Voyager 1 not just a record holder for speed, but also one of the most valuable scientific tools ever launched.
