Nasa has successfully reestablished full contact with its lost Voyager 2 probe, months earlier than anticipated.
In July, an incorrect command caused the spacecraft, which was sent to explore space in 1977, to change its position and lose contact with Earth. However, an “interstellar shout” – a powerful instruction – helped reorient its antenna back towards Earth.
Mission controllers had to wait 37 hours to determine if the interstellar command had worked, given Voyager 2’s distance of billions of miles from Earth. Using the “highest-power transmitter,” Nasa sent a message to the spacecraft during optimal conditions, aligning the antenna with the command.
Until the recent communication was established, Voyager 2 had been unable to receive commands or transmit data to Nasa’s Deep Space Network.
Back to normal
However, the space agency confirmed that data had been received from the spacecraft, and it is now operating normally.
Nasa expects Voyager 2, equipped with various scientific instruments, to continue its planned trajectory through the universe. The probe is designed to reset its position several times each year to maintain its antenna pointed towards Earth.
Voyager 2, along with its twin Voyager 1, is the only spacecraft to operate beyond the heliosphere, the Sun’s protective bubble of particles and magnetic fields. Voyager 2 flew by Neptune and Uranus, while Voyager 1 has become humanity’s most distant spacecraft, nearly 15 billion miles away from Earth. Both probes are anticipated to continue their journeys through space after running out of power, which is expected sometime after 2025.
