mission / science
Hyperbolic Orbital Elements
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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