NASA has announced plans to switch off another science instrument on the Voyager 2 spacecraft later this month, in a bid to conserve dwindling power supplies. This follows a similar step taken just last week when NASA shut down a corresponding instrument on Voyager 1.
As reports, the latest instrument to be powered down on Voyager 2 is responsible for measuring charged particles and cosmic rays. On Voyager 1, the instrument that recently turned off was designed to study cosmic rays specifically.
These steps are part of a broader strategy to extend the operational life of the two iconic spacecraft, both of which have been transmitting valuable scientific data from interstellar space — the vast region beyond the influence of our solar system.
Suzanne Dodd, who manages the Voyager project at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, explained that with the spacecrafts' power supplies gradually weakening after 47 years in space, such measures are necessary to keep the missions running and continue receiving data for as long as possible, as per a report by The Times of India.
More About Voyager 1 & Voyager 2
Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 were launched in 1977, originally tasked with exploring the outer planets. Their groundbreaking discoveries included Jupiter's faint rings, Saturn's complex moons, and Voyager 2's unprecedented flybys of Uranus and Neptune — the only spacecraft to visit those two distant planets.
Despite these power reductions, both Voyagers still have three functioning instruments collecting data on the Sun's protective bubble and the mysteries of deep space. As of now, Voyager 1 is over 15 billion miles from Earth, while Voyager 2 is more than 13 billion miles away, continuing their extraordinary journey into the unknown.
