NASA’s Voyager 1 spacecraft has returned to normal operation after a serious malfunction last November that prevented it from transmitting data for several months.
Voyager 1 is the farthest human-made object currently exploring interstellar space. Two of the instruments on the Voyager 1 spacecraft have resumed operation and are sending usable scientific data, according to Forbes. “The science instrument team is determining the steps to calibrate the remaining two instruments over the coming weeks. This achievement marks an important step towards restoring the spacecraft to normal status,” NASA shared in a statement on May 22.
Voyager 1 resumes normal operations after 6 months of malfunction. (Photo: NASA).
Voyager 1 is in unprecedented territory both in terms of its location and age. NASA’s probe is now over 24 billion kilometers from Earth. Signals from Earth take more than 22.5 hours to reach Voyager 1 and an additional 22.5 hours to receive a response from the spacecraft. This means that troubleshooting is a very slow process. Voyager 1 and its twin spacecraft Voyager 2, launched in 1977, require NASA personnel to work with systems, technologies, and documentation that are decades old. Voyager 1 became the first artificial object to leave the Solar System in 2012, entering interstellar space. Voyager 2 followed suit in 2018.
The plasma wave system and the magnetometer on Voyager 1 are sending back readable data. The team is still working to fix the cosmic ray system and the low-energy charged particle instrument.
Restoring Voyager 1 to scientific operations requires persistence and creativity. The probe began sending nonsensical data at the end of November 2023, and NASA staff spent considerable time tracking down the source of the malfunction. Ultimately, they identified the problem as originating from a faulty memory component in the spacecraft’s auxiliary data system, one of three computers on board. This system is designed to package data from scientific instruments as well as technical data on the spacecraft’s status before transmitting information back to Earth.
After pinpointing the source of the malfunction, the team set about reprogramming Voyager 1. By the end of April, the probe sent a signal updating its status. NASA’s efforts to fix the issues will help scientists gain a better understanding of interstellar space.
While the twin spacecraft will not last forever, NASA hopes to keep at least one instrument operational on both Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 until 2025. Even if the scientific instruments cease to function, the two spacecraft will continue to communicate with Earth for many years to come.
