Voyager 1 Contact Restored After 48-Hour Glitch

Voyager 1 is back in contact after losing contact for about 48 hours. NASA's Deep Space Network performs check-ins, and the spacecraft did not respond before the signal reappeared. The communications glitch resolved on its own.

NASA's Deep Space Network performs check-ins. Voyager 1 did not respond, and the signal later reappeared. The communications glitch resolved on its own, and the spacecraft was back in contact after losing contact for about 48 hours.

Voyager 1 is almost one light-day away, and the distance is listed as 16.09 billion miles, or 25.89 billion kilometers. The facts list a light-day milestone and the first time observed.

One group of thrusters went offline, and backups turned on. The facts describe this as an automatic thruster swap.

Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 launched in 1977 and explored planets in the solar system. Their funding was not guaranteed at launch, and they completed Jupiter and Saturn flybys.

Voyager 2's Uranus flyby was in 1986, and its Neptune flyby was in 1989. The facts list an only up-close view milestone. Voyager 1's trajectory is high above the plane of the solar system.

The Voyagers use nuclear power, and their missions have been extended repeatedly. Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 have crossed into interstellar space and are still operational.

Their plutonium power sources are diminishing. Voyager 1 underwent a Big Bang power adjustment, switched off three devices and replaced them with three lower-power alternatives; Voyager 2 had a Big Bang.

The facts state that the Voyagers lose four watts per year and list 470 watts. Science instruments could operate longer than previously anticipated, with a stated hope to operate into the 2030s.

For readers tracking the lunar industry, the relevant point is NASA's handling of long-distance communications, automatic fault response and shrinking nuclear power budgets. The facts show check-ins, a self-resolved contact loss, an automatic thruster swap and diminishing plutonium power sources.