NASA authorities received an encouraging signal, potentially enabling them to restore contact with the Voyager 2 probe sooner than expected, more than a week after an accidental communication disruption.
On August 1st, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) Twitter account confirmed that engineers detected a carrier signal transmitted by Voyager 2, currently navigating over 12.3 billion miles (19.9 billion kilometers) away from Earth, beyond the solar system's boundary.
'Heartbeat' Signal Detected From Voyager 2
In a tweet, JPL officials likened the received signal to the spacecraft's "heartbeat," providing reassurance that Voyager 2 is still transmitting despite an unintended antenna misalignment on July 21 that interrupted communications with NASA's Deep Space Network.
Following this positive indication, NASA plans to send a command to Voyager 2 in an attempt to realign its antenna back toward Earth. According to Scientific American, the process typically takes around 18.5 hours for the command to reach the spacecraft and another 18.5 hours for the probe's transmission to return to Earth.
The outcome of this attempt may be known within the next two days. Should the realignment effort prove unsuccessful, Voyager 2 is programmed to automatically reset its antenna to face Earth on October 15, as part of the planned series of resets that occur periodically throughout the year.
Second Most Distant Spacecraft From Earth
Voyager 2, officially the second most distant spacecraft representing humanity, has accomplished the impressive feat of entering interstellar space, becoming the second man-made object to do so.
The spacecraft is experiencing a decline in power as it continues its journey further away from the Sun, and its aging nuclear power source contributes to this situation. To conserve power, Scientific American reports that NASA has deactivated certain components as it nears its half-century mark.
As per MailOnline, Voyager 2 is expected to continue sending weak radio signals until at least the mid-2020s despite its age. The Deep Space Station 43, part of NASA's Deep Space Network, serves as the sole Earth antenna capable of transmitting commands to the probe.
The probe is programmed to reset its orientation several times each year to maintain its antenna's alignment with Earth. The next reset is scheduled for October 15, which, according to JPL, should allow communication to resume if it hasn't already.
Even though one of its five science instruments will be turned off in 2026, engineers anticipate the Voyager 2 mission to persist for many more years. The spacecraft is currently utilizing a small reserve of backup power to sustain the functioning of its instruments despite a dwindling power supply.
They are now planning to turn off more instruments in the pursuit of prolonging the spacecraft's operations until 2030. This achievement is especially remarkable since the original mission was initially intended to last only four years.
Linda Spilker, Voyager's project scientist at JPL, highlighted the increasing value of the science data retrieved by the Voyagers as they venture farther away from the sun. Consequently, there is a strong interest in maintaining as many science instruments as possible for an extended period.
RELATED ARTICLE: Voyager 2 Temporarily Lost in Space: NASA's Contact With Farthest Human-Made Object Suspended
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