Nasa’s Voyager 1 has resumed operations and communications after a temporary switch to a lower-power mode, allowing the spacecraft to continue its mission in interstellar space.
NASA has confirmed that Voyager 1 has regained its communication capabilities and resumed regular operations following a brief pause in late October. The spacecraft, which is currently located approximately 15.4 billion miles from Earth, experienced an unexpected shutdown of its primary radio transmitter, known as the X-band. In its place, Voyager 1 switched to its much weaker S-band transmitter, a mode that had not been utilized in over 40 years.
The communication link between NASA and Voyager 1 has been inconsistent, particularly during the period when the spacecraft was operating on the lower-band S-band. This switch hindered the Voyager mission team’s ability to download crucial science data and assess the spacecraft’s status.
Earlier this month, NASA engineers successfully reactivated the X-band transmitter, allowing for the collection of data from the four operational science instruments onboard Voyager 1. With communications restored, engineers are now focused on completing a few remaining tasks to return Voyager 1 to its pre-issue operational state. One of these tasks involves resetting the system that synchronizes the spacecraft’s three onboard computers.
The activation of the S-band was a result of Voyager 1’s fault protection system, which was triggered when engineers turned on a heater on the spacecraft. The system determined that the probe did not have sufficient power and automatically disabled nonessential systems to conserve energy for critical operations.
In this process, the fault protection system turned off all nonessential systems, including the X-band, and activated the S-band to ensure continued communication with Earth. Notably, Voyager 1 had not used the S-band for communication since 1981.
Voyager 1’s journey began in 1977, when it was launched alongside its twin, Voyager 2, on a mission to explore the gas giant planets of the solar system. The spacecraft has transmitted stunning images of Jupiter’s Great Red Spot and Saturn’s iconic rings. Voyager 2 continued its journey to Uranus and Neptune, while Voyager 1 utilized Saturn’s gravity to propel itself past Pluto.
Each Voyager spacecraft is equipped with ten science instruments, and currently, four of these instruments are operational on Voyager 1, allowing scientists to study the particles, plasma, and magnetic fields present in interstellar space.
According to NASA, the successful reestablishment of communication with Voyager 1 marks a significant milestone in the ongoing mission of this historic spacecraft.