NASA has successfully reestablished contact with Voyager 1, the most distant spacecraft from Earth traversing interstellar space. Since November 2022, Voyager 1 had experienced communication interruptions, prompting the Jet Propulsion Laboratory to investigate the cause. Flight controllers determined that a faulty computer chip was responsible and reconfigured the spacecraft’s coding to work around the issue. Following this adjustment, the laboratory received successful engineering data transmission updates, signaling the restoration of communication. However, the team is still working to restore the transmission of scientific data. The exchange of signals with Voyager 1 takes approximately 22.5 hours due to its vast distance of over 15 billion miles in interstellar space, doubling the signal travel time for a round trip. “Contact was never lost; rather, it was like making a phone call where you can’t hear the person on the other end,” explained a JPL spokeswoman. Launched in 1977, Voyager 1 initially explored Jupiter and Saturn before venturing into interstellar space in 2012. Its twin, Voyager 2, continues to operate normally at a distance of 12.6 billion miles.
NASA Regains Communication with Voyager 1, the Most Distant Spacecraft
