The engineers use the inactive backup transmitter from 1981 to reconnect to V

On October 24, the NASA flight team successfully re-established contact with Voyager 1 after a brief communications blackout. The spacecraft, now more than 24.7 billion kilometers from Earth and traveling through interstellar space, stopped transmitting signals on October 19 when its X-band transmitter was shut down. This reconnection was accomplished by using a spare S-band transmitter that had not been used since 1981.

The outage began when communications with Voyager 1 ceased completely on October 19. Antennas around the world had received no signal, leading engineers to realize there was a problem. On October 16, the team overseeing Voyager 1 sent a command to the spacecraft to turn on one of its heaters. Instead of increasing power, this action triggered the spacecraft’s fault protection system, which conserves power by shutting down non-essential systems, including the main radio transmitter.

NASA explained that the reason for the recent silence was that one of Voyager 1’s two radio transmitters shut down, “triggered by the activation of the error protection system in response to a possible drop in power levels.” The flight team first realized there was a problem on October 18 when the spacecraft failed to respond to a command sent on October 16 and the Deep Space Network failed to detect a signal from Voyager 1.

Faced with the loss of communications, engineers explored options to reconnect to the distant probe. The flight crew did not want to risk sending another signal to the X-band transmitter and triggering the error protection system again. Instead, on October 22, a command was sent to the S-band transmitter to confirm that Voyager 1 was using its backup transmitter. This transmitter operates at a different frequency and is less powerful than the X-band transmitter; it had not been used to communicate with Earth since 1981.

Despite the concerns, engineers were able to detect Voyager 1’s signal with the Deep Space Network antennas located in Madrid and Canberra. The S-band transmitter, which consumes less power and transmits a significantly weaker signal, has proven to be a viable alternative. NASA officials added, “For example, if the spacecraft outgrows its power supply, the failsafe will conserve power by shutting down systems not essential to keeping the spacecraft in flight,” including the spacecraft’s main radio transmitter.

With communication restored, the team is now working to diagnose the problem that triggered Voyager 1’s error protection system and restore it to normal operation. Experts say it could take weeks to figure out what activated the protection system, as the team is currently investigating the cause of the malfunction and assessing the overall condition of the spacecraft to avoid future disruptions. “Now, the only thing left is to wait for Voyager 1 to resume normal operations,” a report noted.

This incident adds to a series of interventions that have been necessary to keep the Voyager 1 mission active as its time in deep space has damaged its instruments and caused a growing number of technical problems. In early 2023, the team had to fix a separate communications error that was causing Voyager 1 to transmit the dish. One of the failures was a problem with a memory chip. Another setback was the need to reactivate engines that had been idle for decades. Reactivating these engines allowed NASA to reorient Voyager 1 toward Earth and maintain communication.

Voyager 1, launched by NASA in 1977, became the first spacecraft to cross the boundary of our solar system, venturing into interstellar space in 2012. It is the most distant man-made object in the universe, now 23 light-hours away of Earth. Commands sent from Earth take 23 hours to reach the spacecraft at its current position. As the spacecraft ages and moves further and further away from Earth, technical problems become more frequent.

The communication breakdown prompted the flight crew to use the alternate S-band transmitter, as they were unsure that a signal on the S-band frequency could be detected at such a distance. Despite the lower power, Voyager 1’s successful detection of the signal demonstrated the resilience and adaptability of the mission team. NASA engineers are now working to gather information that will help them figure out what happened and return Voyager 1 to normal operations.

While Voyager 1 should have had enough power to operate the heater, the activation of the error protection system indicates potential power problems. The team suspects that the protection system may have activated redundantly, turning off the X-band transmitter and switching to the S-band transmitter. As one source humorously noted, “Please stop scaring us; we’ve had enough for a while.”

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This incident highlights the challenges of maintaining communication with a spacecraft operating billions of miles away, relying on technology that has exceeded its expected lifespan. So far, scientists have been able to troubleshoot these interstellar IT problems on Earth, keeping both Voyager probes operational. The mission’s flight team continues to address these challenges, ensuring that Voyager 1 remains operational and continues to send valuable data back to Earth.

Once communication is restored, it may take several days or weeks for the underlying problem to be identified. The team focuses on diagnosing and solving problems to prevent future outages. As Voyager 1 continues its journey through interstellar space, the mission is a testament to human ingenuity and the enduring legacy of exploration.

Sources: El Confidencial, Space.com, livescience.com, Mundo Deportivo

This article was written in collaboration with generative AI company Alchemiq