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46 years in space and it's not over yet!
Engineers of the NASA Voyager mission are preparing a software update that will allow the engines on the Voyager 1 and 2 interstellar probes to continue working for another five years, supporting the spacecraft's communication with Earth. The Voyager probes have been in service since their launch in 1977 and have repeatedly exceeded their lifetime expectations. They are a symbol of the achievements of the teams that created them, but their long service life creates new challenges that could not have been predicted.
One such problem is that the hydrazine-fueled engines used to direct Voyager's highly sensitive antennas to Earth are showing signs of aging. Despite the fact that they still have enough fuel until 2037 due to careful use, the engines need to be cleaned. The problem is that over the years, each engine start left residues in the system that accumulated. If the build-up becomes too large, the fuel lines can become clogged, and this will be the end for the spacecraft.
To prevent this, NASA engineers are developing a software update that will tell Voyagers to start their engines less frequently, but for longer periods of time. In addition, the probes will be instructed to allow a greater drift of their orientation to Earth than before, before they go into emergency mode. According to the space agency, this will lead to the loss of some data, but more information will be returned in the long run.
The update also addresses a bug that caused Voyager 1's attitude control system to send commands incorrectly in 2022. Software updates are not without risks. The signal from the Ground to the probes takes 18 hours, which means that a minimum of 36 hours will pass before Mission Control notices a problem with loading. As a result, the first transmission will be performed on Voyager 2 before an attempt is made from Voyager 1.
The upgrades are expected to extend the life of the engines by another five years. Since the nuclear batteries on board the spacecraft are expected to last only two more years, this will leave a significant margin of time.
"At this stage of the mission, the engineering team is facing a lot of challenges that we just don't have instructions for," said Linda Spilker, the mission's chief scientist at JPL. "But they keep finding creative solutions."
Engineers of the NASA Voyager mission are preparing a software update that will allow the engines on the Voyager 1 and 2 interstellar probes to continue working for another five years, supporting the spacecraft's communication with Earth. The Voyager probes have been in service since their launch in 1977 and have repeatedly exceeded their lifetime expectations. They are a symbol of the achievements of the teams that created them, but their long service life creates new challenges that could not have been predicted.
One such problem is that the hydrazine-fueled engines used to direct Voyager's highly sensitive antennas to Earth are showing signs of aging. Despite the fact that they still have enough fuel until 2037 due to careful use, the engines need to be cleaned. The problem is that over the years, each engine start left residues in the system that accumulated. If the build-up becomes too large, the fuel lines can become clogged, and this will be the end for the spacecraft.
To prevent this, NASA engineers are developing a software update that will tell Voyagers to start their engines less frequently, but for longer periods of time. In addition, the probes will be instructed to allow a greater drift of their orientation to Earth than before, before they go into emergency mode. According to the space agency, this will lead to the loss of some data, but more information will be returned in the long run.
The update also addresses a bug that caused Voyager 1's attitude control system to send commands incorrectly in 2022. Software updates are not without risks. The signal from the Ground to the probes takes 18 hours, which means that a minimum of 36 hours will pass before Mission Control notices a problem with loading. As a result, the first transmission will be performed on Voyager 2 before an attempt is made from Voyager 1.
The upgrades are expected to extend the life of the engines by another five years. Since the nuclear batteries on board the spacecraft are expected to last only two more years, this will leave a significant margin of time.
"At this stage of the mission, the engineering team is facing a lot of challenges that we just don't have instructions for," said Linda Spilker, the mission's chief scientist at JPL. "But they keep finding creative solutions."
