NASA is proactively shutting down instruments on the Voyager probes to manage dwindling electrical power and extend their operational lifespan through the 2030s. Voyager 1 has recently turned off its cosmic ray subsystem, while Voyager 2 plans to deactivate its low-energy charged particle instrument soon. This strategic decision allows the iconic probes, which have been operational for nearly five decades, to continue functioning with minimal instruments until the mid-2020s. However, concerns about unforeseen incidents remain, as shown by prior glitches affecting Voyager 1.
This means that it should be 2026 before another instrument must be turned off on both spacecraft.
The steps taken should mean that the Voyagers will endure past the half-century mark.
Suzanne Dodd noted that electrical power was running low. "If we don't turn off an instrument, they would probably have only a few more months of power."
Engineers recovered Voyager 1 in 2024 after a memory glitch left the probe spouting gibberish.
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