NASA shuts down Voyager 1 science instrument to conserve energy in space
The move comes as the nuclear-powered probe loses about 4 watts of power each year, and mission managers are working to extend its remaining life.
“Although shutting down a scientific instrument is not anyone’s preference, it is the best option available,” Karim Badr El-Din, Voyager mission manager at JPL, said in a statement. “Voyager 1 still has two remaining science instruments — one that listens for plasma waves and one that measures magnetic fields. They are still working wonderfully, sending data back from a region of space that no other man-made vehicle has ever explored.”
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NASA’s Voyager 1 spacecraft is depicted in this concept art traveling through interstellar space, or interstellar space, which it entered in 2012. (NASA/JPL-Caltech)
The closure highlights the increasingly delicate balancing act facing the Voyager team as the lifespan of the two spacecraft far exceeds their original mission plans.
Voyager 1 and its twin, Voyager 2, are powered by radioisotope thermoelectric generators that convert heat from decaying plutonium into electricity. After nearly five decades in space, engineers have had to constantly turn off heaters and instruments while making sure the spacecraft doesn’t get so cold that key systems, including fuel lines, are compromised.
Badr El-Din added: “The team is still focused on keeping the two flights going for as long as possible.”
Pressure to act intensified after Voyager 1 experienced an unexpected power drop during a routine maneuver on February 27, according to NASA.
Engineers fear that any additional drop could cause the spacecraft’s voltage to drop Error protection systemIt is designed to automatically shut off components to protect the probe. Recovering from such a mistake can take a long time and entail additional risks, prompting the team to act before the spacecraft can do so on its own.
The Voyager probes remain the only spacecraft far enough from Earth to collect data on “detecting pressure fronts and regions of varying particle densities in space beyond our heliosphere,” according to NASA.
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“Engineers are confident that closing LECP will give Voyager 1 about a year of rest,” a NASA press release said. “They are using the time to finalize a more ambitious power-saving overhaul for both Voyager vehicles that they are calling the ‘Big Bang,’ which is designed to further expand Voyager operations.”
The statement continued: “The idea is to replace a bunch of once-powered instruments — hence the nickname — and turn some things off and replace them with lower-powered alternatives to keep the spacecraft warm enough to continue collecting scientific data.”
The decision to shut down LECP was not made suddenly. NASA said the mission’s science and engineering teams agreed years ago on the arrangement in which spacecraft systems would shut down as available power declined. Of the 10 original sets of instruments carried by the twin probes, seven have now been decommissioned. Voyager 2’s LECP instrument shut down in March 2025.
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Because Voyager 1 is now more than… 15 billion miles From Earth, it takes about 23 hours for orders to arrive. The shutdown sequence itself takes over three hours to complete. One part of the LECP system — a small motor that rotates the sensor so it can scan in all directions — will still be powered because it only uses about half a watt. Engineers hope this leaves the door open for the possibility of restarting the device in the future if more power is available.
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