NASA’s Voyager 1, the farthest spacecraft from Earth, is once again sending scientific data back to us. After a computer problem in November, the spacecraft’s four instruments are now functioning properly, 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, including 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.
Voyager 1 is currently over 15 billion miles (24.14 kilometers) from Earth, while its twin spacecraft, Voyager 2, is also in interstellar space and is more than 12 billion miles (19.31 kilometers) away. Despite the immense distances involved, both spacecraft continue to send back valuable information to Earth that expands our understanding of the cosmos.