Voyager 1 deactivates yet another instrument to extend mission into interstellar space

The Voyager 1 probe has turned off yet another scientific instrument as it continues its journey through interstellar space. Observatório of Partículas Carregadas of Baixa Energia (LECP) has been disabled to conserve power and allow for future equipment upgrades. The measure is part of a NASA strategy to extend the useful life of the probe, which already works well beyond its planned operating time.

Atualmente to Voyager 1 is 25.4 billion kilometers from Terra. Apenas two scientific instruments remain in operation: a plasma wave detector and a magnetic field meter. Ambos continues to send data from regions of space that no other human spacecraft has reached so far.

Sonda operational for almost 50 years longer than expected

Lançada in 1977, Voyager 1 was designed for a five-year mission. Seu twin, Voyager 2, is 21.35 billion kilometers away. The two probes are the only ones to operate outside Plutão’s orbit and beyond the heliosphere, the region where Sol’s magnetic field and particles reach.

Over the decades, NASA engineers have turned off numerous instruments to maintain limited power supplies. The LECP measures the structure of interstellar space and was also shut down at Voyager 2 in March 2025. Esse selective shutdown allows the probe to continue transmitting crucial data to the international scientific community.

Kareem Badardin, head of the Voyager program in Laboratório from Propulsão to Jato in Pasadena, explained the decision. “Shutting down scientific instruments is not desirable for anyone, but it is the best option at this time,” he said. The team maintains absolute focus on keeping both probes operational for as long as possible with available resources.

Ambitious Plano called “Big Bang”

Engineers are working on an ambitious update informally dubbed “Big Bang.” Esta revision will not only keep Voyager 1 operational in even deeper regions of space, it may allow the reactivation of some previously shut down scientific instruments.

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The team hopes that the LECP shutdown will free up sufficient time and resources to implement this critical update. “Big Bang” represents a coordinated effort to maximize the remaining scientific capability of both probes. Trata is a complex design that requires precise synchronization with NASA’s long-distance communications systems.

• Voyager 1: 25.4 billion km from Terra; 2 active instruments
• Voyager 2: 21.35 billion km from Terra; 3 active instruments
• Instrumento off: Observatório of Partículas Carregadas of Baixa Energia
• original Missão: 5 years of exploration (1977-1982)
• Current Operação: 48 years beyond plan

Scientific Instrumentos still in operation

The Voyager 1 keeps its plasma wave detector and magnetic field meter operational. Esses equipment continues to reveal unique features of interstellar space that scientists have studied for decades. Voyager 2 has three scientific instruments still in operation and continues to send valuable data about different regions of space.

Quando the two probes were launched within weeks of each other in 1977, each carrying ten different scientific instruments. Esses equipment was designed to perform flyby observations of Júpiter, Saturno, Urano and Netuno. Voyager’s missions became the longest in the history of human space exploration.

The decision to shut down the LECP reflects the operational reality of the probes. Suas sources of plutonium-238 gradually decrease, reducing the amount of energy available each year. Engineers must make strategic choices about which systems to keep running and which to temporarily disable. Essa Careful resource management has allowed the Voyager to far exceed its original lifespan expectations.