NASA Gives Voyager 2 a New Lease on Life Nearly 48 Years After Launch
NASA says power-saving steps will keep Voyager 2 operating into 2027 as the probe loses about 4 watts of power each year.
- NASA engineers have extended Voyager 2's mission into 2027 through power-saving adjustments, keeping the nearly 50-year-old spacecraft operational nearly 48 years after its launch.
- After nearly five decades in space, Voyager 2 faces extremely limited power levels as its radioisotope thermoelectric generators lose about 4 watts annually due to depleting plutonium fuel.
- Without this energy-saving effort, NASA would have been forced to shut down one of Voyager 2's three remaining scientific instruments before year's end, preserving critical research capability.
- NASA plans to perform the same "Big Bang" effort on Voyager 1 in the coming months, as the spacecraft travels about 2.6 billion miles farther from Earth than Voyager 2.
- Later this year, Voyager 1 is expected to become the first spacecraft to travel more than a light-day from Earth, with both Voyagers remaining the only active deep-space missions.
26 Articles
26 Articles
NASA updates Voyager 2 software from 13 billion miles away
Nearly 49 years after launch, NASA has successfully beamed a new software update to Voyager 2, the legendary space probe that’s now cruising through interstellar space. Nicknamed “Big Bang,” the patch is designed to squeeze every last drop of life out of one of humanity’s greatest explorers, effectively buying the spacecraft another full year of science operations. The oldest device still getting software support Think about how stressful it is …
How Voyager engineers found two more years in a 50-year-old power budget
SPACE EXTENDERS Adding a few extra years to Voyager 2's prodigiously long life was the result of an effort that began more than a year ago, as engineers and managers pondered how to eke out a few more watts from the spacecraft's dwindling power supply. "We came up with the 'Big Bang' idea probably more than a year ago now," recalls Suzanne Dodd, Project Manager for the Voyager project. "We were looking for ways to extend the lifetime of the miss…
There are machines that simply refuse to die. Voyager 2 was launched in 1977, is currently more than 20 billion kilometers from Earth and continues to send scientific information.
NASA's Voyager 2 Space Probe Just Got New Software From Over 13 Billion Miles Away
Nearly 49 years after it launched into space aboard a Titan III rocket, NASA's Voyager 2 space probe received yet another software update, this time reaching the speeding probe from nearly 13.3 billion miles (almost 21.4 billion kilometers) away.
Voyager 2 was Running Low on Power Until NASA Engineered a ‘Big Bang’ to Buy Another Year
NASA engineers found a way to free up power aboard Voyager 2, helping the nearly 50-year-old spacecraft continue its scientific work. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory team decided to simultaneously shut down certain powered components and replaced them with options that use less energy—while also making sure Voyager 2 stayed warm enough to function properly. Decaying […] The post Voyager 2 was Running Low on Power Until NASA Engineered a ‘Big Bang’…
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 80% of the sources are Center
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
