Voyager 1 Sends Data Across 25 Billion Km as Signal Nears 24-Hour One-Way Delay
Updated
Updated · spacedaily.com · Jul 4
Voyager 1 Sends Data Across 25 Billion Km as Signal Nears 24-Hour One-Way Delay
3 articles · Updated · spacedaily.com · Jul 4
Summary
Voyager 1 is still returning engineering and science data from interstellar space about 25 billion km from Earth, with its radio signal now taking more than 22 hours to arrive.
Two instruments remain active after NASA shut down other systems to conserve power from the probe’s plutonium-fueled generators, whose output has fallen to roughly 230 watts from about 470 at launch.
That shrinking power supply — dropping by around 4 watts a year — is the main limit on the mission, though NASA may keep basic data flowing into the 2030s by switching off more hardware.
Since crossing the heliopause in 2012, Voyager 1 has been measuring plasma and magnetic fields beyond the Sun’s particle boundary, sending back extremely faint signals through NASA’s Deep Space Network.
A new milestone is approaching around November 2026, when Voyager 1 is expected to reach one light-day from Earth and its signal will take a full 24 hours one way.