Interstellar Probe

An interstellar probe is a space probe that has left—or is expected to leave—the Solar System and enter interstellar space, which is typically defined as the region beyond the heliopause. It also refers to probes capable of reaching other star systems. There are five interstellar probes, all launched by the American space agency NASA: Voyager 1, Voyager 2, Pioneer 10, Pioneer 11 and New Horizons. As of 2019, Voyager 1, Voyager 2 and Pioneer 10 are the only probes to have actually reached interstellar space. The other two are on interstellar trajectories. The termination shock is the point in the heliosphere where the solar wind slows down to subsonic speed. Even though the termination shock happens as close as 80–100 AU the maximum extent of the region in which the Sun's gravitational field is dominant is thought to be at around 230,000 astronomical units. This point is close to the nearest known star system, Alpha Centauri, located 4.36 light years away.

Read more in the app

Scientists call the region of space influenced by the sun the heliosphere – but without an interstellar probe, they don't know much about its shape

Scientists call the region of space influenced by the Sun the heliosphere – but without an interstellar probe, they don’t know much about its shape

After 45 years, the 5-billion-year legacy of the Voyager 2 interstellar probe is just beginning

Interstellar probe: Has its time finally come?

NASA Interstellar Probe: Overview and Prospects

Interstellar Probe Proposed to Explore the Solar Neighborhood

Nasa and Johns Hopkins propose dedicated Interstellar probe - racing into space at a blistering 7AUs per year

NASA’s New ‘Voyager’: 7 Things To Know About The 50-Year ‘Interstellar Probe’ Mission To Burst Our Cosmic Bubble

NASA Funds Interstellar Probe and Space Habitats Made From Fungi

The "Interstellar Probe" mission would go twice as fast and twice far as the Voyager spacecraft. And unlike the proposed "Breakthrough Starshot" mission, Interstellar Probe wouldn't depend on any new technological breakthroughs.