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ScienceQuiet 8d · day 9

Voyager 1 goes silent for days, signal returns; cause still unclear

NASA's 48-year-old probe lost contact for two days in mid-October before mysteriously resuming communication.

newest coverage 8d agosummary written 8d ago5 pieces19 likes & upvotes3 comments NewswiresGoogle NewsHacker NewsMastodon

What to know

  • Voyager 1 lost contact with Earth for two days (October 18–19) before signal resumed October 20; cause still under investigation but appears linked to thruster backup activation and possible safe-mode engagement.
  • The spacecraft is now so distant that in weeks, any command will take 24 hours to reach it and another 24 hours for a response to return, eliminating real-time troubleshooting.
  • Both Voyager twins approach their 50th anniversary in 2027 in increasingly fragile condition; a recent power-reduction procedure ("Big Bang") extended their lifetimes by several years but underscores how close they are to mission end.
  • NASA has prepared a protocol for declaring the mission over once signal permanently ceases, including possible transmission of a farewell message to the last known location.

“We're relieved to be back in contact with Voyager 1 and are eager to understand what happened.”

Kareem Badaruddin, Voyager mission manager, NASA JPL · The Register ↗ · Oct 29

Kareem Badaruddin Voyager mission manager, NASA JPLSuzanne Dodd Voyager Project ManagerNASA Deep Space Network Communications facility

Voyager 1 goes silent for days, signal returns; cause still unclear
theregister.com

How it unfolded 1 development · click the chart to see its coverage articlesposts

Peak 3 pieces in two hours at Oct 30, 11 AM; 5 pieces over 9 days (2 articles · 3 posts) Oct 30, 9 AM — 1 piece · 1 article — Google News 1Oct 30, 11 AM — 3 pieces · 1 article · 2 posts — Newswires 1, Hacker News 1, Mastodon 1Oct 30, 1 PM — quietOct 30, 3 PM — quietOct 30, 5 PM — quietOct 30, 7 PM — quietOct 30, 9 PM — quietOct 30, 11 PM — quietOct 31, 1 AM — 1 piece · 1 post — Mastodon 1Oct 31, 3 AM — quietOct 31, 5 AM — quietOct 31, 7 AM — quietOct 31, 9 AM — quietOct 31, 11 AM — quietOct 31, 1 PM — quietOct 31, 3 PM — quietOct 31, 5 PM — quietOct 31, 7 PM — quietOct 31, 9 PM — quietOct 31, 11 PM — quietNov 1, 1 AM — quietNov 1, 2 AM — quietNov 1, 4 AM — quietNov 1, 6 AM — quietNov 1, 8 AM — quietNov 1, 10 AM — quietNov 1, 12 PM — quietNov 1, 2 PM — quietNov 1, 4 PM — quietNov 1, 6 PM — quietNov 1, 8 PM — quietNov 1, 10 PM — quietNov 2, 12 AM — quietNov 2, 2 AM — quietNov 2, 4 AM — quietNov 2, 6 AM — quietNov 2, 8 AM — quietNov 2, 10 AM — quietNov 2, 12 PM — quietNov 2, 2 PM — quietNov 2, 4 PM — quietNov 2, 6 PM — quietNov 2, 8 PM — quietNov 2, 10 PM — quietNov 3, 12 AM — quietNov 3, 2 AM — quietNov 3, 4 AM — quietNov 3, 6 AM — quietNov 3, 8 AM — quietNov 3, 10 AM — quietNov 3, 12 PM — quietNov 3, 2 PM — quietNov 3, 4 PM — quietNov 3, 6 PM — quietNov 3, 8 PM — quietNov 3, 10 PM — quietNov 4, 12 AM — quietNov 4, 2 AM — quietNov 4, 4 AM — quietNov 4, 6 AM — quietNov 4, 8 AM — quietNov 4, 10 AM — quietNov 4, 12 PM — quietNov 4, 2 PM — quietNov 4, 4 PM — quietNov 4, 6 PM — quietNov 4, 8 PM — quietNov 4, 10 PM — quietNov 5, 12 AM — quietNov 5, 2 AM — quietNov 5, 4 AM — quietNov 5, 6 AM — quietNov 5, 8 AM — quietNov 5, 10 AM — quietNov 5, 12 PM — quietNov 5, 2 PM — quietNov 5, 4 PM — quietNov 5, 6 PM — quietNov 5, 8 PM — quietNov 5, 10 PM — quietNov 6, 12 AM — quietNov 6, 2 AM — quietNov 6, 4 AM — quietNov 6, 6 AM — quietNov 6, 8 AM — quietNov 6, 10 AM — quietNov 6, 12 PM — quietNov 6, 2 PM — quietNov 6, 4 PM — quietNov 6, 6 PM — quietNov 6, 8 PM — quietNov 6, 10 PM — quietYesterday, 12 AM — quietYesterday, 2 AM — quietYesterday, 4 AM — quietYesterday, 6 AM — quietYesterday, 8 AM — quietYesterday, 10 AM — quietYesterday, 12 PM — quietYesterday, 2 PM — quietYesterday, 4 PM — quietYesterday, 6 PM — quietYesterday, 8 PM — quietYesterday, 10 PM — quietToday, 12 AM — quietToday, 2 AM — quietToday, 4 AM — quietToday, 6 AM — quietToday, 8 AM — quietToday, 10 AM — quiet 1
Oct 31Nov 1Nov 2Nov 3Nov 4Nov 5Nov 6yesterdaynow · 11:26 AM ET
  1. 1

    Register reports on communication incident and mission outlook

    Coverage emphasizes the precarious state of both 48-year-old Voyager spacecraft as they approach their 50th anniversary in 2027. Within weeks, Voyager 1 will reach a distance where commands take 24 hours to arrive and responses take another 24 hours to return to Earth, making real-time troubleshooting impossible.

    “We're just going to one day not hear the signal from the DSN, and we're going to rush around and make sure that it's not something on the ground.”
    — Suzanne Dodd, Voyager Project Manager
    1. 1 outlet Voyager 1 gives controllers the silent treatment

      first by The Register, 9d ago

    • iamkonstantin@mstdn.social

      Phew, would’ve been very sad if one of the Voyagers ended up on the “interesting times 2026” list https://www. theregister.com/science/2026/1 0/30/voyager-1-gives-controllers-the-silent-treatment/5306637

      iamkonstantin@mstdn.socialMastodon8d agoview on Mastodon ↗
  2. background

    Voyager 1 signal reappears; cause under investigation — The signal returned on October 20, ending the three-day communication blackout. Initial analysis suggests a group of thrusters went offline and their backups were activated, possibly indicating the onboard computer detected a problem and engaged safe mode.

  3. background

    Signal remains absent on second contact attempt — On the next scheduled communication attempt, NASA still received nothing from the probe. The two-day silence deepened concerns about mission continuity.

  4. background

    Voyager 1 stops transmitting; NASA loses signal — NASA's Deep Space Network (DSN) could not detect a signal from Voyager 1 on October 18. The loss of contact raised immediate concern about whether the 48-year-old spacecraft had finally failed.

  5. background

    Voyager 1 completes "Big Bang" power-reduction procedure — Voyager 1 underwent a power-management overhaul called the "Big Bang," turning off onboard devices and switching to lower-power alternatives. The procedure extended the spacecraft's expected lifetime by several years and postponed further instrument deactivation. Voyager 2 completed the same procedure earlier in 2026.