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NASA to keep its 48-year-old Voyager 2 probe running for yet another year
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NASA engineers implemented a power management adjustment on the Voyager 2 spacecraft to keep its remaining three science instruments operational for at least another year despite dwindling plutonium supplies.
Operating a nearly half-century-old spacecraft in interstellar space requires continuous creative power management as its nuclear batteries decay. By disabling non-science devices and adopting lower-power thermal alternatives, engineers extend the mission's scientific output without sacrificing instrument functionality. This approach will soon be applied to Voyager 1 as well.
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Engineers reduced Voyager 2's power load by shutting off non-essential devices and using lower-power heating alternatives.
The adjustment allows the spacecraft's final three science instruments to operate for at least another year.
A similar power management change will be made to Voyager 1 in the coming months.
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