NASA has successfully reestablished full communication with its Voyager 2 spacecraft after weeks of silence. The agency’s Deep Space Network facility in Canberra, Australia, sent a command to the spacecraft, which is located over 12 billion miles away, instructing it to turn its antenna back towards Earth. It took 37 hours to confirm whether the command had been successful, and shortly afterwards, Voyager 2 began transmitting science and telemetry data again. This development indicates that the spacecraft is operating normally and remains on its expected trajectory.
The outage, which lasted for two weeks, was believed to be the longest period during which NASA had not heard from Voyager 2. Project manager Suzanne Dodd expressed relief and joy at the successful restoration of communication, stating, “So glad I can finally phone home.” Prior to this, NASA had detected a carrier signal from the spacecraft, confirming that it was still broadcasting, but communication had been interrupted.
Voyager 2 is programmed to reset its orientation multiple times a year to keep its antenna pointed towards Earth. If the recent command had failed, NASA would have had to wait until October for the spacecraft’s onboard software to automatically reset its direction. In July, a series of planned commands had inadvertently caused the spacecraft’s antenna to shift two degrees away from Earth, resulting in the interruption of communication.
Voyager 2, along with its twin Voyager 1, was launched in 1977 to study the outer solar system and eventually interstellar space. Voyager 1 is currently about 15 billion miles away from Earth. The Voyager missions have been incredibly successful, and there is hope that at least one of the spacecraft will still be operational for the 50th anniversary of their launch in 2027. However, given their age, events like the recent communication interruption are cause for concern.
