NASA Shuts Down Voyager 1 Instruments as 1977 Probe Loses About 4 Watts a Year
Updated
Updated · 19FortyFive · Jul 20
NASA Shuts Down Voyager 1 Instruments as 1977 Probe Loses About 4 Watts a Year
3 articles · Updated · 19FortyFive · Jul 20
Summary
Voyager 1 is being kept alive by powering down instruments one by one, a step NASA engineers took as the spacecraft’s electricity supply continues to shrink.
About 470 watts at launch, the probe’s three plutonium-fueled RTGs now lose roughly 4 watts a year as the fuel decays and hardware ages, forcing tighter power management.
More than 15 billion miles from Earth, Voyager 1 still sends back signals with a 20-22 watt transmitter, but commands take nearly 24 hours one way and 45-48 hours to confirm.
Launched in 1977 for a mission expected to last about four years, Voyager 1 remains one of only two functioning spacecraft in interstellar space, underscoring the durability of its simple, redundant design.