New Horizons vs Voyager: Will the New Horizons Spacecraft Ever Catch Up?

When it comes to space exploration, the New Horizons spacecraft has certainly made a name for itself. However, as it ventures into the vast reaches of our solar system, it is important to ask: when, if ever, will New Horizons surpass the Voyager and Mariner spacecraft?

Distance and Speed: The Key Factors

New Horizons is not on the same trajectory as either of the Voyager spacecraft. It is also not traveling as fast. The Voyager probes have been traveling for decades and have covered vast distances, making comparisons with New Horizons challenging.

One estimate suggests that it will take approximately 38 years for New Horizons to surpass the distance currently traveled by the Voyager probes, which is around 15 billion miles. However, this is just the distance covered. If we are considering reaching a more remote position in space, it is nearly impossible that it will happen in our lifetime, if at all.

Comparing Speed and Trajectory

Unlike the Voyager probes, which benefited greatly from gravitational slingshots, New Horizons did not get as much of a boost from such maneuvers. Consequently, New Horizons is moving slower than both Voyagers, not just now but as it travels farther from the Sun.

The Voyagers are traveling at a faster rate and have a significant head start. This means that even though New Horizons started with more speed compared to the Voyagers, it will never catch up. The vast distance covered by the Voyagers makes it practically certain that they will always be ahead of New Horizons.

Direction Matters

Interestingly, all three of these spacecraft are traveling in different directions. This means that they will never "pass" each other in the conventional sense. Even if New Horizons were to come close to the Voyager probes, it would not cross their paths due to their differing trajectories.

New Horizons is not only behind the Voyagers in terms of distance and speed but is also falling further behind as time moves forward. The space environment and the nature of these probes' missions mean that meeting up or surpassing the Voyager probes is simply not feasible.

Conclusion

In summary, barring any unexpected developments, such as solar flares or other unexpected events, New Horizons will never surpass the Voyager spacecraft in terms of distance or speed. This underscores the significance of the Voyager probes' legacy in space exploration.