NASA's Voyager 1 spacecraft unexpectedly stopped communicating for a few days in late October, raising questions about whether the veteran mission had ended before its signal reappeared on October 20. The brief blackout, which occurred as the probe approaches the milestone of being one light-day from Earth, has left engineers puzzling over the cause.
The first missed communication attempt came on October 18, when the Deep Space Network could not detect a signal from Voyager 1. A second scheduled attempt the following day also yielded nothing. But on October 20, the spacecraft resumed contact, much to the relief of the mission team.
Voyager mission manager Kareem Badaruddin described the event as unprecedented in the mission's decades-long history. 'This is the first time we've seen the spacecraft do something like this, but we are also at a point in the mission where we have to expect the unexpected,' he said. 'We're relieved to be back in contact with Voyager 1 and are eager to understand what happened.'
Preliminary indications suggest that a group of thrusters went offline and their backups were turned on. This could indicate that the spacecraft's onboard computers detected a problem and put it into a safe mode.
The incident comes just weeks after Voyager 1 completed a power-conservation procedure called the Big Bang, which turned off onboard devices and switched to lower-power alternatives. The result will extend the spacecraft's lifetime by a few years and postpone further instrument deactivation. Voyager 2 underwent the same procedure first.
The brief lapse in communication highlighted that, despite the ingenuity of the team, the project must eventually come to an end. There is every chance both Voyager spacecraft will still be operational as they pass their half-century milestone next year, technology and funding permitting. Voyager Project Manager Suzanne Dodd told The Register in 2026 that the end would come when they one day no longer hear the signal from the DSN, followed by months of listening before engineers declare the mission over.
Analysis
Why This Matters
- The loss of contact with Voyager 1, even briefly, highlights the delicate balance of maintaining communication with a spacecraft operating far beyond the solar system.
- The incident demonstrates both the resilience of the aging probe and the challenges NASA faces in keeping the 1970s-era technology functioning.
- The outcome will inform how engineers manage similar anomalies on other long-duration missions.
Background
Voyager 1 launched in 1977 and became the first human-made object to enter interstellar space. The 'Big Bang' procedure was devised to extend the spacecraft's power budget by turning off heaters and instruments that are no longer essential.
What to Watch
- The results of JPL's investigation into the thruster anomaly and whether any corrective steps are needed.
- The expected one-light-day communication milestone in the coming weeks, which will double the round-trip time for commands.
- The long-term health of Voyager 1 as it approaches its 50th anniversary next year.
Checked
11 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 10 supported.
Show each claim
- SupportedVoyager 1 fell silent for a few days before its signal returned.www.theregister.com - Articles: “Voyager 1 gave controllers the silent treatment for a few days this month before resuming communication”
- SupportedEngineers are investigating a possible thruster issue as Voyager 1 nears the one-light-day milestone.www.theregister.com - Articles: “weeks before the spacecraft reaches the one-light-day milestone. ... The good news is that on October 20, the signal reappeared, leaving engineers wondering why Voyager 1 temporarily went silent. Thus far, it seems a group of thrusters went offline and their backups were turned on.”
- SupportedVoyager 1's blackout raised the possibility that the mission had ended before the signal returned on October 20.www.theregister.com - Articles: “Was this it? Had the decades-long galactic venture finally ended? ... on October 20, the signal reappeared”
- SupportedThe first missed communication attempt was October 18, the next scheduled attempt was October 19, and the signal reappeared on October 20.www.theregister.com - Articles: “The incident happened on October 18: NASA's Deep Space Network (DSN) couldn't detect a signal from the probe. On October 19, on the next scheduled communication attempt, there was still nothing. ... on October 20, the signal reappeared”
- SupportedVoyager mission manager Kareem Badaruddin said, “This is the first time we've seen the spacecraft do something like this, but we are also at a point in the mission where we have to expect the unexpected.”www.theregister.com - Articles: “Kareem Badaruddin, Voyager mission manager at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, said: "This is the first time we've seen the spacecraft do something like this, but we are also at a point in the mission where we have to expect the unexpected."”
- SupportedBadaruddin said, “We're relieved to be back in contact with Voyager 1 and are eager to understand what happened.”www.theregister.com - Articles: “"We're relieved to be back in contact with Voyager 1 and are eager to understand what happened."”
- SupportedPreliminary indications suggest a group of thrusters went offline and backups were turned on; this could mean onboard computers detected a problem and put the spacecraft into safe mode.www.theregister.com - Articles: “Thus far, it seems a group of thrusters went offline and their backups were turned on. This could indicate onboard computers detected a problem and put the spacecraft into a safe mode.”
- SupportedVoyager 1 completed the Big Bang power-conservation procedure just weeks before the communications lapse; it turned off onboard devices and switched to lower-power alternatives, and Voyager 2 underwent it first.www.theregister.com - Articles: “The twin Voyager spacecraft have recently been through a procedure dubbed the "Big Bang," where controllers turned off onboard devices and switched to lower power alternatives. ... It was completed first on Voyager 2, and then Voyager 1, six weeks later in September.”
- SupportedThe Big Bang procedure will extend Voyager 1's lifetime by a few years and postpone further instrument deactivation.www.theregister.com - Articles: “The result will extend the lifetime of the spacecraft by a few more years and postpone further instrument deactivation.”
- SupportedBoth Voyager spacecraft may still be operational as they pass their half-century milestone next year, technology and funding permitting.www.theregister.com - Articles: “there is every chance both Voyager spacecraft will still be operational as they pass their half-century milestone next year and, technology and funding permitting, continue sending data to Earth for a good few years yet.”
- Partly supportedSuzanne Dodd told The Register in 2026 that the mission would end after the team stopped hearing the DSN signal, listened for months, and declared the mission over.www.theregister.com - Articles: “In 2026, Suzanne Dodd, Project Manager for the Voyager project, told The Register what the end would look like. She said, "We're just going to one day not hear the signal from the DSN, and we're going to rush around and make sure that it's not something on the ground." Months of listening will follow, before engineers throw in the towel and declare the mission over.”