NASA’s Voyager 1 probe has shut down one of its scientific instruments. The command was sent on April 17, 2026 by Laboratório from Propulsão to Jato. The measure aims to preserve the limited energy of the spacecraft, which has been traveling through interstellar space since 1977.
The decision involves Observatório of Partículas Carregadas of Baixa Energia, known as LECP. Esse equipment measures the structure of the interstellar medium. Engenheiros believe the shutdown provides about an additional year of operation for Terra’s furthest probe.
Comando sent 25 billion kilometers away
The signal came from the control center at Califórnia and took hours to reach Voyager 1. The probe is approximately 25.4 billion kilometers from Terra. The distance increases every day.
LECP has operated almost without interruption since launch. Ele captured data on charged particles in the environment beyond the heliosphere, the bubble of solar influence. With power declining, the team prioritized maintaining critical systems.
- LECP was the eighth instrument deactivated on Voyager 1 over the years
- The same measure had already been applied to Voyager 2 in March 2025
- Sete of the ten original instruments of each probe are already turned off
- The two probes were launched weeks apart in 1977
- Cada one carried ten instruments to study the giant planets
The gradual reduction of instruments follows the natural drop in power of radioisotope thermoelectric generators. Esses devices convert heat from plutonium-238 into electricity. The annual decline is about four watts.
Dois instruments still send data from interstellar space
The Voyager 1 keeps the plasma wave detector and magnetometer operational. Esses equipment continues to transmit information from regions never before visited by other human ships.
The magnetometer studies the interstellar magnetic field. The plasma instrument records waves generated by interactions in the environment between stars. Kareem Badardin, responsible for the Voyager program at JPL, said the team’s focus is to extend the probes’ useful life as much as possible.
The twin probe Voyager 2, 21.35 billion kilometers away, also operates with reduced instruments. The two spacecraft completed flybys of Júpiter, Saturno, Urano and Netuno in the 1970s and 1980s. Depois then headed into interstellar space.
Previous Desligamentos paved the way for the current decision
The selective decommissioning strategy began decades ago. Instrumentos imaging and ultraviolet spectrometers were the first to go out of operation. In February 2025, Voyager 1 had already turned off another cosmic ray detector.
Cada shutdown releases power to the communication and heating systems. The ship needs to keep the thrusters functional to point the antenna at Terra. Sem this, contact would be lost.
Distância record and communication challenges
Voyager 1 is the furthest man-made object from Terra. The radio signal carrying the data travels at the speed of light, but it still takes more than 23 hours to reach mission control. The response takes the same time.
Engenheiros tests commands carefully to avoid failures. An error could shut down critical systems. The probe does not have autonomous repair capabilities at this distance.
The Voyager program has far exceeded its original five-year expectation. The probes have been operating for almost five decades. The data sent helped to understand the boundary of the solar system and the characteristics of interstellar space.
Mission’s Futuro relies on strict power management
The team is evaluating options to further extend the operation. Qualquer further shutdown would directly affect science collection. For now, the remaining two instruments provide unique information about the environment beyond solar influence.
Voyager 1 continues its trajectory out of the galaxy. Nenhum another human project achieved similar distances with active instruments. The shutdown of the LECP represents yet another adjustment to maintain this presence.