Communication issues are preventing NASA’s Voyager spacecraft, the most distant human-made object from Earth, from sending data back home, raising growing concerns among scientists.
Voyager 1, one of NASA’s longest-running missions, is experiencing communication problems. The mission team fears that the spacecraft, located far from Earth, may not be recoverable. Engineers are currently working to resolve the computer error that is hindering the spacecraft’s ability to transmit data back to Earth, but software limitations and distance make the task challenging.
Simulation of Voyager 1 with its antenna pointed towards Earth. (Photo: Internet).
Since November 14 of last year, the interstellar probe Voyager 1 has been unable to transmit data collected by its scientific instruments, according to NASA’s announcement. The spacecraft appears to still receive and process commands well, as reported by the support team in California, and continues its journey through interstellar space at a distance of 24 billion kilometers from Earth, well beyond the edge of the Solar System. However, due to the inability to access the faulty system, engineers find it difficult to fully assess the spacecraft’s condition. “If we can get it operational again, that would be the greatest miracle,” said Suzanne Dodd, Voyager project manager.
Since its launch on September 5, 1977, Voyager 1 has been traveling away from the Sun at a speed of approximately 17 kilometers per second. Voyager 1 officially entered interstellar space in 2012, becoming the first spacecraft to achieve this milestone. It is currently the most distant artificial object from Earth.
Initially, the probe transmitted data back to Earth using its flight data system, one of the three computers onboard. However, the fault in the auxiliary system, the Telemetry Modulator Unit (TMU), means that instead of the usual binary code, the system has been sending back a repeated string of zeros for several months.
Fixing this issue is complex due to the spacecraft’s age and its distance from Earth. After sending a command, the team has to wait 45 hours for the spacecraft to respond. Since the probe was designed and built in the 1970s, much of the technology onboard is outdated and the schematics cannot be digitized.
If NASA cannot re-establish communication with Voyager 1, they still have at least one probe operating in interstellar space. Voyager 2 crossed the edge of the Solar System in 2018 and has maintained contact with Earth since then. Additionally, NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft is expected to exit the Solar System in the 2040s.
