After nearly five decades of groundbreaking exploration, NASA has made the difficult decision to power down one of Voyager 2’s instruments the plasma science device due to its steadily decreasing energy supply. Launched in 1977, Voyager 2 is one of two spacecraft sent on an ambitious journey to explore the outer planets and interstellar space. It is currently more than 20.5 billion kilometers (12.8 billion miles) from Earth, traveling at a speed of 15 km/second (35,000 miles per hour).
As the spacecraft’s power continues to fade, NASA engineers have been trying to keep as many instruments active as possible, considering the critical data collected by the Voyagers are our only glimpse into interstellar space. However, the aging plutonium-powered generators on Voyager 2 produce less energy each year, forcing NASA to prioritize which instruments remain operational.
The plasma science instrument, which has been measuring ionized particles in space, was shut down due to limited use in recent years and its orientation challenges in interstellar space. Despite this, Voyager 2 will still support four other instruments, including a magnetometer and cosmic ray detector, to study the uncharted regions beyond our solar system.
The twin Voyager spacecraft, both launched in 1977, took advantage of a rare planetary alignment, conducting flybys of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. Voyager 2 remains the only spacecraft to have visited Uranus and Neptune, providing stunning images and data on these distant planets.
Voyager 1, meanwhile, entered interstellar space in 2012, with Voyager 2 following in 2018. The two spacecraft continue to send back data, though their power is predicted to run out by the 2030s, ending one of humanity’s greatest space exploration missions.
As NASA reduces power consumption by shutting down non-essential systems, the mission team remains focused on collecting as much data as possible in the remaining years. These discoveries have shaped our understanding of the solar system and beyond, and even as instruments are switched off, the legacy of the Voyager mission endures.
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