Voyager 2 was running out of power. NASA just bought it more time
NASA engineers have found a clever way to squeeze more life out of Voyager 2, nearly half a century after it left Earth. In an operation nicknamed the “Big Bang,” the team simultaneously shut down certain power-hungry hardware and switched to lower-power alternatives while keeping the spacecraft warm enough to survive.
In a significant effort known as the Big Bang, NASA engineers have discovered a method to extend the life of the Voyager 2 spacecraft, which has been in operation for nearly 50 years. This engineering marvel involved a series of strategic steps taken by the team at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The engineers managed to balance shutting down certain powered components while simultaneously replacing them with alternatives that consumed less energy.
This crucial work was executed meticulously to ensure that Voyager 2 remained warm enough for it to function correctly.
Voyager 2, along with its twin Voyager 1, operates on radioisotope thermoelectric generators that generate electricity from the heat released by the decay of plutonium. As this plutonium supply gradually diminishes, the spacecraft loses approximately 4 watts of available power each year. This constant decrease in power supply has left the Voyagers with extremely limited energy reserves after over half a century in space.
To maintain the spacecraft's operation, mission controllers have been forced to continually shut down systems and equipment that are no longer vital.
Since the year 2024, declining power levels have necessitated the switching off of two science instruments on each Voyager spacecraft, which each have ten instruments. This decision was made earlier as some of these instruments were only utilized during the mission's planetary encounters. Without the Big Bang power-saving initiative, the Voyager team would have had to turn off another instrument aboard Voyager 2 before the close of 2026.
However, thanks to this innovative power-saving strategy, the three remaining instruments on Voyager 2 are expected to function for at least another year. NASA has plans to carry out the same power-saving swap on Voyager 1, which currently lies farther from Earth than Voyager 2, and anticipates completing this task in the coming months.
The materials for this story were provided by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and this information is presented in plain prose without any additional commentary or interpretation.
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