NASA has successfully reactivated a set of roll thrusters on Voyager 1, a 47-year-old probe that has been exploring interstellar space for over four decades. The thrusters, which had been inactive since 2004, are essential for maintaining communication and controlling the spacecraft’s orientation. Scientists at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California achieved this feat to address the risk of clogging in the main thrusters, which could potentially fail as early as Fall 2025. This maneuver is critical to ensuring the continued success of the Voyager mission, which has already made groundbreaking discoveries in our Solar System.
The antenna on Earth responsible for sending commands to both Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 will be offline for several months due to needed upgrades. Deep Space Station 43, a 230-foot-wide antenna in Australia, is scheduled to be offline until February 2026. While that antenna is being upgraded, the team at NASA will not be able to communicate with the twin space probes. During this downtime, the reliance on the dormant roll thrusters is vital for maintaining the spacecraft’s alignment with Earth, ensuring continuous data transmission.
Suzanne Dodd, Voyager project manager and director of the Interplanetary Network at JPL, emphasized the importance of these upgrades for future Moon missions. ‘These antenna upgrades are important for future crewed lunar landings and they also increase communications capacity for our science missions in deep space,’ Dodd said in a press release. The successful reactivation of the roll thrusters not only safeguards the Voyager mission but also underscores the critical role of long-term planning and technological upgrades in space exploration.
Voyager 1, launched in 1977, has traveled nearly 15 billion miles and is currently exploring interstellar space beyond our Solar System. Both Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 have traveled farther than any other human-made objects. Voyager 1’s notable discoveries include finding a thin ring around Jupiter, along with two moons orbiting the Solar System’s largest planet that had not been seen before. It also discovered five moons orbiting Saturn, along with a previously unknown ring around the gas giant. These findings have significantly advanced our understanding of the outer planets and their systems.
The reactivation of the roll thrusters on Voyager 1 highlights the challenges of maintaining and upgrading spacecraft that operate in the vast and harsh environment of interstellar space. NASA’s commitment to extending the mission’s lifespan and ensuring its continued operation demonstrates the agency’s dedication to scientific exploration and the pursuit of knowledge about our universe. As the spacecraft continues its journey into the unknown, the reactivation of these thrusters represents a crucial step in preserving the legacy of one of humanity’s most ambitious space missions.