Voyager 1 faces critical failure

Voyager 1, the farthest human-made object from Earth, experienced a critical failure on October 18 and 19, during which it stopped transmitting data for two days. Engineers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) were concerned when the signal was lost, but the spacecraft reportedly repaired itself without direct intervention from Earth.

Spacecraft repairs itself

The probe, which is over 25 billion kilometers from Earth and at the edge of the heliosphere, activated its own backup protocols to diagnose the failure of its power circuits, switch to redundant subsystems, and restore the radio link. This was the first time the spacecraft had handled such a failure independently.

Recent power-saving measures

The incident occurred during a period of heightened risk for the probe, as NASA had recently conducted a risky operation nicknamed the "Big Bang" in September, switching certain instruments to less energy-consuming modes to conserve power from its aging nuclear generator (RTG). The agency aims to keep Voyager 1 and its twin, Voyager 2, operational for their 50th anniversaries in 2027 and to reach the year 2030, beyond which the spacecraft may no longer have enough energy to power even a single instrument.

Voyager 1's journey continues

Voyager 1 is currently traveling at a speed of more than 61,000 km/h and is expected to reach the symbolic distance of a light-day from Earth on November 18. It is heading toward the star Gliese 445, which it will pass in approximately 40,000 years. The probe carries the Golden Record, a collection of sounds and images representing Earth and human civilization.