2024-04-23 19:36:03
After a loss of contact with the space probe “Voyager 1“, NASA received a signal again. Now we are working on the next step.
The space probe “Voyager 1” – the most distant man-made object in the universe – is sending information to ground control again after months. “Voyager 1” sends “usable data” about the condition and status of the technical systems on board, said the US space agency NASA. The next step is to enable the space probe to send scientific data again.
The system is 46 years old
“Voyager 1” stopped sending readable data to Earth on November 14, 2023 – although experts could see that the probe was still receiving the commands. In March, it was discovered that the problem stemmed from a single defective chip. The experts then developed a solution that was suitable for the 46-year-old computer system.
Voyager 1, launched in 1977, became the first spacecraft to penetrate interstellar space in 2012. It is currently more than 24 billion kilometers from Earth. Messages from Earth take about 22.5 hours to reach the probe.
The twin probe “Voyager 2” also left the solar system in 2018. Both probes have a gold plate on board with recordings of earth sounds and messages, among other things.