NASA’s Voyager 1, the most distant spacecraft from Earth, has once again begun sending scientific data back to its home planet. After experiencing a computer problem in November, the spacecraft’s four instruments are now operational again, as reported by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory this week.
The team was able to receive meaningful data from Voyager 1 in April and recently resumed commanding the spacecraft to study its environment. Launched in 1977, Voyager 1 is currently drifting through interstellar space, the vast expanse between star systems. Prior to reaching this region, Voyager 1 made several significant discoveries, such as a thin ring around Jupiter and various moons of Saturn.
The spacecraft’s instruments are specifically designed to gather information on plasma waves, magnetic fields, and particles present in its surrounding environment. Despite being over 15 billion miles (24.14 kilometers) from Earth, Voyager 1 continues to send back valuable information to its home planet, expanding our understanding of the cosmos. Its twin spacecraft, Voyager 2, is also in interstellar space and is more than 12 billion miles (19.31 kilometers) away, continuing to send back valuable data as well.
