Voyager 1, currently located 15.4 billion miles away from Earth in interstellar space, is facing challenges as its mission continues beyond its expected lifespan. NASA’s flight engineers recently encountered a situation where the uncrewed spacecraft ceased communication after its main radio transmitter was turned off. This occurred following a routine command sent on October 16 to switch on a heater. By October 19, communication from Voyager 1 had completely stopped, prompting concern from the flight team.
Despite these challenges, Voyager 1 is equipped with a backup system that utilizes a different, weaker frequency. Engineers from the Deep Space Network, a collection of large radio dish arrays on Earth, managed to detect a signal returning from the S-band transmitter, which had not been used since 1981, according to NASA.
NASA stated in a mission update that the team is working to understand the situation and restore Voyager 1 to normal operations. Both Voyager 1 and its twin, Voyager 2, have surpassed their original missions, which commenced in 1977. Initially intended to explore Jupiter and Saturn, the spacecraft are now a part of a prolonged mission, having studied four planets, 48 moons, and various magnetic fields and rings.
Voyager 1 made history in August 2012 by entering interstellar space, an area populated with material expelled from stars that died millions of years ago. Voyager 1 and 2 are currently the only spacecraft operating beyond the heliosphere, the area influenced by the solar wind and the sun’s magnetic field.
Traveling at speeds over 38,000 mph, Voyager 1 is the farthest human-made object from Earth. Commands take 23 hours to reach the spacecraft, with responses taking the same amount of time to return to mission control. The spacecraft’s power supply diminishes annually by approximately four watts, leading flight controllers to occasionally deactivate systems to conserve power, aiming to keep the mission alive beyond 2025.
The shutdown of Voyager 1’s main radio transmitter remains unexplained. The spacecraft’s fault protection system may deactivate non-essential equipment to save energy, particularly if it experiences a power supply overload. Currently, data suggests Voyager 1 should have been able to activate the heater without issues. Operating in interstellar space presents unique challenges, as it is an environment with high radiation levels that human-made objects have never navigated before. Last month, the team also addressed a thruster issue on the spacecraft. According to Voyager project manager Suzanne Dodd, each decision moving forward requires extensive analysis and caution.
