NASA extends Voyager 2's mission with risky "Big Bang" power operation

Engineers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory successfully completed a high-risk procedure called "Big Bang" to free up extra electrical power for the Voyager 2 probe. The operation involved simultaneously shutting down certain power-consuming devices and replacing them with lower-energy alternatives, while keeping the spacecraft warm enough to function. Voyager 2, launched on 20 August 1977, is currently 21 billion kilometres from Earth in interstellar space.

Similar stories

🔬 Science NASA extends Voyager 2's mission another year with power-saving "Big Bang" tweak Space.com · 13d ago 🔬 Science Mission to save NASA's Swift observatory cancelled — it will burn up on re-entry Bankier.pl · 13h ago 🔬 Science NASA's $30M mission to save Swift telescope fails — satellite to burn up on re-entry France 24 · 16h ago