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VOYAGER 1 AND 2 HYPERBOLIC ORBITAL ELEMENTS
November 1989

The following are hyperbolic elements for NASA's Voyager 1 and 2 during various legs of their travels to the outer planets of the solar system.

Voyager 1 was launched in September 1977 and flew by Jupiter and Saturn. Voyager 2 was launched in August 1977 and flew by Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. Both spacecraft are now headed out of the solar system into interstellar space.

These data were provided by Steve Matousek, trajectory engineer for the Voyager Project at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Abbreviations used:

ET = Ephemeris Time
a = semi-major axis (kilometers)
e = eccentricity
i = inclination (degrees)

OM = longitude of ascending node (degrees) (big omega)
o = argument of perifocus (degrees) (small omega)
M = mean anomaly (degrees)

i, OM and o are Sun-centered, Earth ecliptic of 1950.0, except at planetary encounters where the elements are planet-centered.

VOYAGER 1

EARTH INJECTION TO JUPITER VOYAGER 1

Epoch = 9/8/77 09:08:17 ET
a = 745,761,000
e = .797783
i = 1.032182
OM = -17.565509
o = -.767558
M = .304932

JUPITER-CENTERED VOYAGER 1

Epoch = 3/5/79 12:05:26 ET
a = 1,092,356
e = 1.318976
i = 3.979134
OM = 119.454908
o = -62.062795
M = 0.

JUPITER TO SATURN VOYAGER 1


Epoch = 4/24/79 07:33:03 ET
a = -593,237,000
e = 2.302740
i = 2.481580
OM = 112.975465
o = -1.527299
M = 19.156329

SATURN-CENTERED VOYAGER 1

Epoch = 11/12/80 23:46:30 ET
a = -166,152
e = 2.107561
i = 65.893904
OM = -167.106611
o = -58.836017
M = 0.

POST-SATURN VOYAGER 1

Epoch = 1/1/91 00:00:00 ET
a = -480,926,000
e = 3.724716
i = 35.762854
OM = 178.197845
o = -21.671355
M = 688.967795

VOYAGER 2

EARTH INJECTION TO JUPITER VOYAGER 2

Epoch = 8/23/77 11:29:11 ET
a = 544,470,000
e = .724429
i = 4.825717
OM = -32.940520
o = 11.702680
M = -.888403

JUPITER-CENTERED VOYAGER 2

Epoch = 7/9/79 22:29:51 ET
a = -2,184,140
e = 1.330279
i = 6.913454
OM = 147.253921
o = -95.715216
M = 0.

JUPITER TO SATURN VOYAGER 2


Epoch = 9/15/79 11:07:25 ET
a = -2,220,315,000
e = 1.338264
i = 2.582320
OM = 119.196938
o = -9.170896
M = 4.798319

SATURN-CENTERED VOYAGER 2

Epoch = 8/26/81 03:24:57 ET
a = -332,965
e = 1.482601
i = 3.900931
OM = 60.314852
o = 88.222252
M = 0.

SATURN TO URANUS VOYAGER 2

Epoch = 10/17/81 18:43:56 ET
a = -579,048,000
e = 3.480231
i = 2.665128
OM = 76.860491
o = 112.289600
M = 10.350850

URANUS-CENTERED VOYAGER 2

Epoch = 1/24/86 17:59:47 ET
a = -26,694
e = 5.014153
i = 11.263200
OM = -80.927265
o = -86.390059
M = 0.

URANUS TO NEPTUNE VOYAGER 2

Epoch = 6/9/87 00:00:00 ET
a = -448,160,000
e = 5.806828
i = 2.496223
OM = -100.376161
o = -46.104011
M = 315.018680

NEPTUNE-CENTERED VOYAGER 2

Epoch = 8/25/89 03:56:36 ET
a = -24,480
e = 2.194523
i = 115.956093
OM = 114.507068
o = 113.992391
M = 0.

POST-NEPTUNE VOYAGER 2

Epoch = 1/1/91 00:00:00 ET
a = -601,124,000
e = 6.284578
i = 78.810177
OM = 100.934989
o = 130.043962
M = 342.970736

 
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