NASA power-saving maneuver extends Voyager 2 mission a year

NASA engineers have successfully completed a complex, long-distance power-saving maneuver on the Voyager 2 spacecraft, extending its ability to return unique scientific data from interstellar space for at least another year. The procedure, known internally as the "Big Bang," was confirmed in a mission update on August 4 and executed to prevent the permanent shutdown of one of the probe's three remaining science instruments before the end of 2026.

Voyager 2, launched in 1977, is currently over 21 billion kilometers from Earth. Like its twin, Voyager 1, it is powered by radioisotope thermoelectric generators that convert heat from decaying plutonium into electricity. This power source diminishes by roughly four watts each year, forcing a gradual reduction in operations. Since 2024, two science instruments on each spacecraft have already been powered down to conserve energy.

The "Big Bang" maneuver involved a carefully coordinated, simultaneous swap of multiple onboard systems. Engineers turned off certain higher-power components, including two dedicated heaters and a digital tape recorder retained for its residual heat, and activated lower-power alternatives. The primary challenge...