Voyager 1’s Dormant Thruster Gets a Second Chance at the Edge of Space

NASA revived Voyager 1’s long-dormant primary roll thrusters in 2025 from 15 billion miles away, restoring an essential attitude-control option that keeps the high-gain antenna pointed at Earth. The thrusters had been considered dead since 2004, and firing them carried the risk of a hazardous explosion if the heaters weren’t warmed first. Because signals take about a day to reach Voyager and another to return, the team had to carefully sequence the test before a planned Deep Space Network blackout, effectively buying time as power wanes and propellant residue clogs other thrusters. The achievement highlights how a 1977 mission can outlive its expectations and continue to listen from interstellar space.