NASA has successfully reestablished communication with the Voyager 1 spacecraft after a brief disruption in late October.
The spacecraft, which has been exploring space since 1977, had unexpectedly switched off its primary X-band transmitter and switched to its weaker S-band transmitter, a backup that hadn’t been used in over 40 years.
Voyager 1 is currently about 15.4 billion miles from Earth, making communication increasingly challenging. The switch to the S-band transmitter, while using less power, had previously prevented the mission team from receiving important data about the spacecraft’s condition and scientific findings. However, NASA engineers have now reactivated the X-band transmitter, allowing the collection of data from Voyager 1’s four functioning science instruments.
The issue stemmed from the spacecraft’s fault protection system, which was triggered when engineers activated a heater to warm the spacecraft. The system determined that there was insufficient power and deactivated non-essential systems, including the X-band transmitter, to preserve energy for critical operations.
With the communication restored, engineers are working to finalize tasks that will return the spacecraft to its previous operational state. One of the remaining steps is to reset the synchronization system for Voyager 1’s three onboard computers.
Voyager 1, along with its twin spacecraft Voyager 2, was launched as part of NASA’s Planetary Grand Tour mission to explore the outer gas giants of our solar system. After successfully sending back data from Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune, the mission entered a new phase as both spacecraft left the solar system. Voyager 1 has been in interstellar space since 2012 and continues to send valuable scientific data about the conditions beyond our solar system.
FOX Business and Wired contributed to this report.
