NASA Extends Voyager 2 Science Mission by Over a Year

NASA engineers at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory have reconfigured Voyager 2’s power system in an effort dubbed “Big Bang.” By turning off non‑essential devices and replacing higher‑consumption equipment with lower‑power alternatives while maintaining thermal control, the team recovered enough electricity to keep the probe’s three remaining scientific instruments operating for at least an additional year. The spacecraft loses roughly 4 watts of power each year as its plutonium‑based radioisotope thermoelectric generators decay, prompting earlier shutdowns of two instruments on each Voyager since 2024. Without the power‑saving measures, another instrument would have been lost before the end of 2026. The same strategy is planned for Voyager 1 in the coming months, extending both probes’ ability to send data from interstellar space.