NASA Temporarily Loses Contact with Voyager 2 that’s Almost 20B km Away—Why is it Not a Concern?

Isaiah Richard, Tech Times 28 July 2023, 09:07 pm

One of the oldest and longest-running spacecraft with an interstellar mission, Voyager 2, has temporarily lost contact with the Earth, and it is surprising because NASA is not that concerned. The spacecraft is now almost 20 billion kilometers away from the home planet as it continues its extended mission, with last week seeing its antenna face slightly away from the Earth.

The Voyager 2 remains a significant and valued spacecraft for NASA, with its services still needed by the space agency in learning more about the galaxy.

NASA Temporarily Loses Contact with the Voyager 2

(Photo : NASA/JPL-Caltech)

NASA's blog detailed last Friday that its team has temporarily lost contact with the Voyager 2 spacecraft which is now 19.9 billion kilometers away from the planet. This was due to the Voyager team who sent a series of commands to the probe which led to its antenna facing slightly away from the planet.

While the lifeline of spacecraft is also centered on their ability to contact home, this may seem like a major concern for NASA, considering that it is almost a 50-year-old tech.

The Voyager is known for expanding the Earth's knowledge of the galaxy, picking up where Pioneer 10 and 11 left off in their study of Jupiter and Saturn. It also gave humans an in-depth view of Neptune and Uranus.

NASA is Not Concerned, Here is Why

In the blog post, NASA is not showing any signs of concern or anxiousness about this happening. This is because the Voyager 2 is known for resetting its orientation several times a year to focus its antenna back to the planet and re-establish communications.

According to Ars Technica, the spacecraft's next schedule for this reset is by October 15, and NASA said that it will remain on its course for the time being.

Voyager 2 is expected to return to normal operations soon.

NASA's Voyager Mission

Back in 1977, NASA launched its twin probes, Voyager 1 and Voyager 2, who both went their separate ways in exploring the galaxy's farther planets to bring more knowledge and information to the world. In 2022, the space agency celebrated 45 years of the Voyager mission, with the twin spacecraft still operating now.

It went on historic missions toward Jupiter, Neptune, Saturn, and Uranus, which established its capabilities for interstellar missions. Since then, the Voyagers have not yet returned home, and despite facing many plans for decommissioning, the spacecraft extended its initial timeline to explore more of the great beyond.

The Voyager remains one of the most significant spacecraft that is currently operating in space, and news of NASA losing its contact with it may be concerning for some. But fear not, as the space agency is not that worried as there are countermeasures for the Voyager 2, with the spacecraft soon coming back around to reset its antennas for it to reestablish contact.