NASA's Voyager 1 Resumes Data Transmission from 15 Billion Miles Away

NASA's Voyager 1 probe has resumed sending valuable data back to Earth after a hiatus of months, the US space agency revealed on Monday. The spacecraft, which had ceased transmitting understandable information to Earth on November 14, 2023, continued to receive commands from controllers despite the communication issue. 

In March, researchers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory pinpointed a malfunctioning chip as the culprit behind the communication glitch. They developed a clever coding solution to address the problem, working within the constraints of Voyager 1's 46-year-old computer system. "Voyager 1 spacecraft is returning usable data about the health and status of its onboard engineering systems," NASA confirmed. Now, the focus shifts to enabling the spacecraft to resume sending scientific data back to Earth.

Here is what you need to know

Launched in 1977, Voyager 1 holds the distinction of being humanity's first spacecraft to venture into the interstellar medium in 2012. Currently, it resides over 15 billion miles away from Earth, with messages taking approximately 22.5 hours to travel to and from the spacecraft.

Voyager 2, its twin, also exited the solar system in 2018.

Both Voyager probes carry "Golden Records" - gold-plated copper disks designed to share the story of Earth with potential extraterrestrial beings. These records contain a wealth of information, including a map of our solar system and symbolic instructions on how to play the record, curated by a committee chaired by renowned astronomer Carl Sagan.

While the Voyager probes continue their journey through space, their power reserves are expected to run out sometime after 2025. Beyond that, they will continue to drift through the Milky Way, potentially indefinitely, transmitting no signals.