NASA figured out how to keep its Voyager 2 probe running for another year

NASA has implemented a power-saving maneuver, nicknamed the "Big Bang," to extend the life of the Voyager 2 spacecraft. According to Space.com, the spacecraft, launched in 1977, relies on a radioisotope thermoelectric generator that uses the heat produced by the decay of plutonium, but the supply of plutonium drops at about four watts a year. To conserve energy, engineers turned off non-science devices and used lower-power alternatives to keep the spacecraft warm in the frigid environment of interstellar space.

The power margins on Voyager 2 had grown "razor thin," requiring the team to shut off non-essential devices and systems, as stated by NASA officials. As a result, some science instruments were turned off due to power requirements, with each spacecraft initially launching with 10 instruments and having turned off two since 2024 alone, as reported by Space.com. The Big Bang procedure involves selectively shutting off high-power instruments while switching on lower-power alternatives.

The successful power transfer, as reported by Live Science, should provide enough power to keep Voyager 2's three instruments operating for at least an extra year. The maneuver was tested on Voyager 2 in May and June, and the results were shared in a NASA statement released on August 4.

Brief written by urgent.news from Hacker News Best, Space.com, Scientific American, Live Science — 4 reports on this story. Machine-written — read the original for the full account.