Voyager 1’s “Dead” Thrusters Spring Back to Life!

In a remarkable feat of engineering, NASA has successfully reactivated dormant thrusters aboard Voyager 1, the spacecraft furthest from Earth. This timely revival ensures the continuation of the historic mission amid planned communication downtimes.

Voyager 1, launched in 1977, relies on thrusters to maintain its orientation and communication link with Earth. Specifically, roll thrusters keep the spacecraft pointed towards a guide star, crucial for transmitting data from its location 15.5 billion miles away in interstellar space.

After its primary roll thrusters ceased functioning over two decades ago due to heater failure, Voyager 1 depended on backup thrusters. Now, facing potential clogging issues with the backups, NASA engineers ingeniously devised a plan to resurrect the original, seemingly defunct thrusters.

The team hypothesized that a circuit disturbance might have simply flipped a switch, cutting power to the heaters. Taking a calculated risk, they commanded Voyager 1 to switch to the primary thrusters and attempt to restart the heaters.

This was a precarious maneuver. If the spacecraft drifted too far before the heaters activated, an automatic sequence could have triggered a small explosion. Adding to the pressure, a vital Earth-based antenna in Canberra, Australia, went offline for upgrades until February 2026, limiting communication windows.

On March 20th, after a tense wait for data traveling over 23 hours from Voyager 1, the team witnessed the thruster heaters’ temperature rise dramatically – a resounding success!

“It was such a glorious moment,” exclaimed Todd Barber, the mission’s propulsion lead at JPL. “These thrusters were considered dead…It was yet another miracle save for Voyager.”

This successful intervention ensures that Voyager 1 can continue its mission of exploring the vast expanse of interstellar space, sending valuable data back to Earth for years to come.

Key Takeaways

• NASA revives “dead” thrusters on Voyager 1.
• Revival ensures mission continuation during communication downtimes.
• Ingenious solution overcomes potential clogging of backup thrusters.
• A risky maneuver pays off, extending Voyager 1’s operational life.

Learn More

Visit NASA’s website for more information about the Voyager mission.