Voyager 2 Loses Contact with NASA
NASA is currently dealing with a temporary communication obstacle concerning its Voyager 2 spacecraft, which is currently traveling through interstellar space. The problem stems from an accidental misalignment of the antenna, resulting in the spacecraft’s inability to receive instructions or send data back to Earth. However, NASA remains hopeful that the issue will be resolved during the next planned orientation reset in October. Voyager 2, a remarkable symbol of human ingenuity and exploration, holds the distinction of being the second farthest man-made object in space, surpassed only by its predecessor, Voyager 1.
An antenna error causes a temporary interruption of data transmission
The deviation occurred on July 21, when a series of planned commands accidentally caused Voyager 2’s antenna to move 2 degrees off its intended position toward Earth. As a result, the spacecraft temporarily lost its ability to communicate with mission control, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) announced in a statement released Friday.
Fortunately, Voyager 2 is designed to undergo periodic reorientations throughout the year, realigning its antenna with Earth. The upcoming reset, scheduled for October 15, is expected to restore contact with the spacecraft.
During this period of communication silence, the Task Force has full confidence that Voyager 2 will maintain its planned trajectory, as stated in the JPL press release.
Voyager 2: An epic journey to the stars
Voyager 2, launched on August 20, 1977, has traveled an astonishing 19.9 billion kilometers from Earth, placing it in the region between the Sun’s heliosphere and the astrospheres of other stars, known as interstellar space. In this vast space, it became the second man-made object to venture among the stars, following in the footsteps of its twin, Voyager 1, which reached this milestone on December 10, 2018.
While its communication failure is fixed, there will be a moment to celebrate Voyager 2’s remarkable achievements.
It is the only spacecraft that has studied all four giant planets of our solar system up close. Especially on Jupiter, Voyager 2 made a groundbreaking discovery on the 14th.
Voyager 2 also made history by becoming the first man-made object to fly past Uranus, where it made fascinating discoveries of 10 new moons and two additional rings. Later on Neptune, the spacecraft revealed five moons, four rings and a mysterious feature known as the “Great Dark Spot”.
Despite the current communication barriers, Voyager 1 continues to operate smoothly nearly 24 billion kilometers from Earth.
