Interstellar Voyager 1 Resumes Operations After Communication Glitch with NASA

NASA has announced that Voyager 1, the record-setting interstellar spacecraft, has reestablished communication and resumed normal operations after a brief radio silence in late October. Crisis averted, space nerds!

In an unexpected twist, Voyager 1 decided to temporarily shut down its primary X-band radio transmitter, opting instead to turn on its long-forgotten S-band transmitter. A bold move for a spacecraft that hasn’t touched that tech in over 40 years. For scale, the S-band hasn’t been used since before CDs were a thing.

Voyager 1 is currently hanging out about 15.4 billion miles away from Earth. That’s far enough to make your long-distance relationships look like child’s play. Communication got dicey with the weaker S-band, leaving NASA’s Voyager team unable to download science data or even confirm the spacecraft’s status for a while. Can you imagine the anxiety?

Thankfully, earlier this month, NASA engineers managed to coax the X-band back to life. Data collection has resumed using the four remaining operational science instruments onboard, and Voyager 1 is slowly returning to its pre-glitch state. Engineers are now working to reset the synchronization system that coordinates the spacecraft’s three onboard computers. Talk about a tech support nightmare!

Here’s what caused the hiccup: When engineers activated a heater on Voyager 1, the spacecraft’s fault protection system stepped in, deciding that power was running low. Like a penny-pinching parent, it shut down all nonessential systems—including the X-band transmitter—while keeping science instruments running. It defaulted to the power-saving S-band instead.

It’s worth noting that Voyager 1 hasn’t used the S-band for communication since 1981. Yes, 1981—when mullets were in and MTV was just starting. This spacecraft is basically a time capsule of vintage technology, still out here making history.

Launched in 1977 alongside its twin, Voyager 2, Voyager 1 has been on an epic journey. It gave us stunning images of Jupiter’s Great Red Spot and Saturn’s iconic rings before slingshotting past Pluto into interstellar space. Its sibling, Voyager 2, took a more scenic route, visiting Uranus and Neptune along the way.

Both Voyagers were equipped with 10 science instruments each, and four are still operational on Voyager 1, exploring particles, plasma, and magnetic fields in the uncharted territory beyond our solar system. Not bad for a spacecraft older than most of us reading this.