NASA has successfully reactivated roll thrusters on Voyager 1, a spacecraft launched in 1977, which had been inactive for two decades. This critical engineering feat was achieved by scientists at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Southern California, who have long suspected that the thrusters might not function due to potential clogging. These thrusters are vital for maintaining the spacecraft’s orientation and preventing the main thrusters from becoming obstructed by residue, which could lead to their failure as early as Fall 2025. The reactivation is particularly significant given that the Deep Space Station 43 in Australia, which is responsible for transmitting commands to both Voyager 1 and Voyager 2, is undergoing necessary upgrades and will be offline until February 2026. This period of inactivity will temporarily hinder communication with the Voyager probes, underscoring the importance of the thruster reactivation in ensuring the spacecraft’s continued operation. The upgrades to the Deep Space Station 43, a 230-foot-wide antenna in Australia, are also part of broader efforts to support future lunar missions, as highlighted by NASA’s Voyager project manager, Suzanne Dodd. Each Voyager has a set of primary thrusters that control movement in all directions as well as smaller thrusters for what is called roll control. Using the smaller thrusters allows the Voyager’s antenna to stay aligned with Earth, so the scientists can communicate with it. While there is a third set of thrusters, which were brought back online in 2018 and 2019, Voyager does not have the capability to perform the roll adjustments needed to keep a connection with Earth. If Earth happened to lose connection with Voyager 1, it would be nearly impossible to restore communication. Voyager 1 was launched in 1977 and has traveled nearly 15 billion miles away and is currently exploring interstellar space, which is 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 2 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. The reactivation of the thrusters is a testament to NASA’s commitment to maintaining long-term space exploration, even as the agency faces challenges in communication infrastructure and the aging of its deep-space equipment.