What Will Happen to Voyager 2 if Attempts to Re-Orient Its Antenna Towards Earth Fail?

NASA has lost contact with Voyager 2 since last month. However, on Tuesday, it finally picked up a "heartbeat" signal from the space probe. Read more to know what awaits the space probe.

What Will Happen to Voyager 2 After NASA Detects Heartbeat Signal?

NASA announced that it picked up a signal from Voyager 2 Tuesday during a regular sky scan. The update came a week after they lost the space probe after a wrong command, BBC reported.

To see if they might pick up a signal from Voyager 2, they sought the services of the (Deep Space Network) and Radio Science groups, according to Suzanne Dodd, project manager for Voyager at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, per CNN. The strategy worked because they could see the spacecraft's "heartbeat" signal. They are sure that the spacecraft is functional and alive, and it makes them feel better.

Nasa confirmed that Voyager 2 is still broadcasting. The US space agency added that it is in "good health."

Their next step is to send the correct order towards the vicinity of Voyager 2 to make contact with the probe. According to The Conversation, both Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 stayed in touch with Earth through three antennas of the Deep Space Network - one in Madrid, Spain, the second in Goldstone, California, and the third in Canberra.

Voyager 1 is 24 billion kilometers from home, while Voyager 2 is 20 billion kilometers away. Due to the distance, only the antenna dishes from Canberra receive signals from both. Its sister stations cannot see the space probes because Earth is in the way.

There are attempts to relay commands to Voyager 2 and re-orient its antenna towards Earth. If their efforts fail, Voyager 2 is programmed to use the Sun and the bright star Canopus in re-aligning itself. NASA programmed the space probe to do the re-alignment several times each year to ensure that it will aim its antenna at Earth.

The following schedule is set on Oct. 15. The experts expect it will automatically resume communications with the space probe by then.

NASA also anticipates that the spacecraft will continue on its intended course through the cosmos while loaded with scientific instruments. The probe has been in orbit since its launch in 1977 to investigate the outer solar system.

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More About Voyager 2

Voyager 2 is the second spacecraft to enter interstellar space. The spacecraft joined its twin, Voyager 1- on Dec. 10, 2018. They were the only human-made objects to enter the space between the stars.

The two-spacecraft Voyager missions replaced the initial plans for a "Grand Tour" of the planets, which would have employed four incredibly sophisticated spacecraft to visit the five outer planets in the late 1970s.

The idea was scrapped by NASA in January 1972, largely due to the $1 billion cost estimate. The space agency instead suggested launching just two spacecraft to Jupiter and Saturn in 1977. Compared to the two Pioneers (Pioneers 10 and 11), the two new spacecraft were intended to investigate the two gas giants in more detail.

In 1974, mission planners suggested a mission in which the second Voyager might be guided to Uranus and, ultimately, Neptune using gravity-assist operations if the first Voyager was successful.

The two spacecraft were each outfitted with a slow-scan color TV camera to capture photos of the planets and their moons. They also carried a large collection of equipment to gather information about the planetary systems' magnetic, atmospheric, lunar, and other properties.

Voyager 2 was the first artificial spacecraft to pass by the planet Uranus.