From the Edge of Space: Voyager 1’s Communication Crisis and Rescue Mission
In November 2023, Voyager 1’s communication with Earth became unreadable due to a corrupted code on a chip that accounts for 3% of the flight data subsystem (FDS) memory. This led to a lack of meaningful data being sent back to Earth. The NASA team worked tirelessly to fix the issue and, on April 18, 2024, they successfully relocated the affected code to a new location in FDS memory. Despite the delay in radio signals traveling between Earth and Voyager 1, the edit was successful and allowed scientists to reconnect with the spacecraft.
On April 20, Voyager 1 updated its operating status after five months of problems. The spacecraft, located 24 billion km from Earth, uses binary code to communicate with the control team at NASA. In March 2024, the control team sent a digital signal to stimulate the FDS to send back full memory information. After successful communication with Earth, Voyager 1 is now providing usable information about its onboard technical systems.
Voyager 1 has been exploring space beyond the Sun’s influence for over three decades since its launch in 1977. Its successful communication with Earth makes it one of only two man-made objects still active in interstellar space today. Voyager 2, launched six years after Voyager 1 in 1981, also entered interstellar space in August of this year and continues to function effectively.
