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ScienceRunning 2d ↳ Voyager 2 Extended Operations

NASA extends Voyager 2 mission by a year with 'Big Bang' power maneuver

Engineers redirected power from heaters to keep the 48-year-old probe's remaining instruments operational in interstellar space.

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NASA extends Voyager 2 mission by a year with 'Big Bang' power maneuver
space.com

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Summary, timeline and people extracted by Claude from 18 items across 4 sources · 6h ago. Quotes are verbatim.

NASA engineers executed a power-management maneuver on the Voyager 2 spacecraft, called the "Big Bang," by switching off non-essential heaters and devices to free up power from its declining nuclear battery. The move extends the probe's ability to operate its three remaining science instruments by at least another year, preventing imminent shutdown. The same technique will now be tested on Voyager 1, which is traveling even farther from Earth.

  • NASA executed a 'Big Bang' power maneuver on Voyager 2 by switching off non-essential heaters and devices, freeing power from its failing plutonium-powered RTG to extend instrument operations by at least one year.
  • Voyager 2's power supply decays at approximately four watts per year; the probe was facing imminent shutdown of one of its three remaining science instruments without intervention.
  • The same technique is now being tested on Voyager 1, though NASA reports the older, farther probe exhibits hardware behavior differences from its twin, raising questions about the fix's reliability.
  • Both 48-50 year old probes continue transmitting interstellar data from deep space, with Voyager 1 at 171 AU and Voyager 2 at 142 AU from Earth, representing humanity's most distant operational instruments.

How it unfolded

  1. Report Voyager 1 status and testing phase

    Reports indicate Voyager 1 is down to two working science instruments. The 'Big Bang' fix that extended Voyager 2 is now being tested on Voyager 1, though NASA notes the older probe 'no longer behaves quite like its sibling.'

  2. Report Technical details emerge

    Hackaday reports that the heaters being switched off serve dual purposes: keeping electronics within operating range and keeping fuel lines warm for attitude adjustments. The maneuver is described as freeing up power from the rapidly diminishing RTG output.

  3. Analysis Voyager 1 procedure planned

    NASA indicates plans to perform the same 'Big Bang' power switch on Voyager 1 in the coming months. Voyager 1 is currently farther from Earth (171 AU) than Voyager 2 (142 AU), meaning command signals take nearly 24 hours to reach it one-way.

  4. Event NASA executes 'Big Bang' on Voyager 2

    NASA engineers perform the 'Big Bang' power maneuver on Voyager 2, turning off non-essential heaters and using lower-power alternatives. This frees enough power from the RTG to allow all three remaining instruments to operate for at least another year.

    “The spacecraft power margins have grown razor thin, requiring the team to conserve energy by shutting off non-essential devices and systems.”

    NASA officials · Hacker News ↗
  5. 135 weeks quiet
  6. Event Power crisis accelerates

    Both spacecraft have turned off two science instruments each since 2024 due to declining power supply. Voyager 2 now operates only three of its original ten instruments.

  7. 313 weeks quiet
  8. Event Voyager 2 enters interstellar space

    Voyager 2 follows its twin into interstellar space, continuing to send scientific data from the deepest regions of space.

  9. 313 weeks quiet
  10. Event Voyager 1 enters interstellar space

    Voyager 1 crosses the heliosphere and becomes the first spacecraft to transmit data from interstellar space.

  11. 1826 weeks quiet
  12. Event Voyager 1 and 2 launch

    NASA launches twin Voyager spacecraft to explore the outer solar system. Both probes carry radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTGs) powered by plutonium decay and are equipped with 10 science instruments each.

What people are saying verbatim

“The spacecraft power margins have grown razor thin, requiring the team to conserve energy by shutting off non-essential devices and systems.”

NASA officials, Mission operators · Space.com ↗

“Fortunately JPL engineers have managed to pull off a 'big bang' switch on Voyager 2, involving two heaters and another device that was kept on to keep providing sufficient heat to the spacecraft.”

Hackaday, Technology news outlet · Hackaday ↗

“With this switch, apparently enough of the rapidly diminishing power from the RTG has been freed up that the Voyager 2 has just gained a whole extra year on its extended mission.”

Hackaday, Technology news outlet · Hackaday ↗

“At first it looked as though Voyager 2 would have to shut down another of these instruments later this year, but luckily, the new power shifts will allow all three to operate 'for at least another year.'”

NASA officials, Mission operators · Space.com ↗

“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, Science news outlet · Space Daily ↗