Voyager-1’s cosmic comeback! NASA receives faint signal, thanks to 1981’s backup transmitter

Travelling billions of kilometres from Earth into interstellar space, the 15 billion-mile-away Voyager-1 spacecraft has once again established communication with Earth, albeit with a faint signal.

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NASA successfully reestablished contact with Voyager-1 on October 24 after a brief interruption caused by an activation of its fault protection system.

On October 16, the flight team sent a command to activate one of the spacecraft’s heaters. Although Voyager 1 had sufficient power for the heater, the command triggered its fault protection system. The team discovered the issue when the Deep Space Network could not detect Voyager 1’s signal on October 18.

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Southern California oversees communications with Voyager 1 through the Deep Space Network. When the JPL team sends commands, Voyager 1 responds by transmitting engineering data, which allows the team to assess how the spacecraft reacts, according to media reports.

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This exchange takes about two days—approximately 23 hours for the command to travel over 15 billion miles (24 billion kilometers) to Voyager 1 and another 23 hours for the data to return to Earth. On October 16, the flight team sent a command to activate one of the spacecraft’s heaters.

Although Voyager 1 had sufficient power to operate the heater, the command inadvertently triggered its fault protection system. The team became aware of the issue when the Deep Space Network failed to detect Voyager 1’s signal on October 18.

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Southern California is responsible for managing communications with Voyager 1 through the Deep Space Network. When the JPL team sends commands, Voyager 1 transmits engineering data in response, allowing the team to evaluate the spacecraft's reactions. This exchange takes about two days—roughly 23 hours for the command to travel over 15 billion miles (24 billion kilometers) to Voyager 1 and another 23 hours for the data to return to Earth.

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Voyagers 1 and 2 have operated for over 47 years and are the only two spacecraft currently functioning in interstellar space. Their advanced age has increased the frequency and complexity of technical issues, presenting new challenges for the mission engineering team.