Voyager 1 is Back Online Again, but NASA’s Iconic Probe is Losing Something it Crucially Needs to Remain Operational | Space

NASA’s iconic Voyager 1 probe is back online after the spacecraft experienced another pause in communication last month.

In an update on November 26, the American space agency confirmed that the probe had resumed its regular operations following an unexpected shutdown of its primary radio (X-band) transmitter, opting instead to engage its comparatively weak S-band transmitter.

Voyager 1, currently located at an incredible 15.4 billion miles from Earth as it makes its way further into interstellar space, is at a great enough distance that it has become difficult for its mission controllers to retrieve information from the probe, including science data it continues to log and crucial details about its operational status.

NASA revealed last month that the probe’s X-band transmitter was successfully reactivated despite its distance from Earth, allowing the probe to resume data collection and transmission using its array of science instruments by mid-November.

Currently, mission engineers are working to restore Voyager 1 to its prior state of operation before the latest issues it experienced. These efforts included resetting Voyager 1’s system to synchronize its three computers.

The cause behind the shutdown of the probe’s X-band transmitter, reportedly resulting from the engagement of a protection system built into the decades-old space probe,…