NASA Extends Voyager 2's Mission With a Power-Saving Tune-Up
TL;DR Summary
NASA has extended Voyager 2’s lifespan by about one year using a software update nicknamed “Big Bang.” By turning off certain high-power instruments and swapping in lower-power equivalents, the spacecraft conserves the dwindling power from its plutonium RTG (losing roughly 4 watts per year), allowing its three remaining instruments to continue science work roughly 13 billion miles from Earth. Voyager 2, launched in 1977, visited the outer planets, reached interstellar space in 2018, and now transmits data about the heliosphere as its energy budget tightens.
- NASA Updates Voyager 2 To Extend The 1977 Probe's Lifespan Yet Again Engadget
- NASA Engineers Help Prolong Voyager 2’s Science Mission NASA Science (.gov)
- Voyager 1 is down to two working science instruments, and the fix that just bought its twin, Voyager 2, another year of power is now being tested on a probe NASA says no longer behaves quite like its sibling Space Daily
- Voyager 2 was Running Low on Power Until NASA Engineered a ‘Big Bang’ to Buy Another Year Good News Network
- ‘Big Bang’ fix boosts Voyager 2’s mission in interstellar space CNN
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