Voyager 1 marks 48 years in space as power-saving measures begin
By
Brajeshwar
8mo ago· 3 min readenNews
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Summary
Voyager 1, launched 48 years ago from Cape Canaveral, continues its mission studying Jupiter, Saturn, and Titan's atmosphere. Despite its age, the spacecraft still transmits data back to Earth. Engineers expect it may survive into the 2030s before losing contact with the Deep Space Network, though its cosmic ray subsystem was already switched off in 2025, and more instruments will be shut down as power dwindles.
Key quotes
· 3 pulledIt is almost half a century since Voyager 1 was launched from Cape Canaveral in Florida on a mission to study Jupiter, Saturn, and the atmosphere of Titan.
Although engineers reckon that the aging spacecraft might survive well into the 2030s before eventually passing out of range of the Deep Space Network, the spacecraft's cosmic ray subsystem was switched off in 2025.
More of the probe's instruments are earmarked for termination as engineers eke out Voyager's power supply
: Powered by plutonium, running on pure stubbornness
