Space & Astronomy

NASA shuts down Voyager 1 science instrument to conserve power

By T.K. Randall
April 22, 2026 ·  0 comments

Image: Artist's Concept of Voyager 1 (1990)
Credit: NASA/JPL / (PD) Launched in 1977, both Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 have traveled further from the Earth than any other man-made object in history and remain operational despite almost 50 years of traveling through space.

Both spacecraft are powered by a radioisotope thermoelectric generator which essentially converts the heat from decaying plutonium into electrical power.

This power source, however, won't last forever - both Voyager 1 and 2 are losing around 4 watts of power per year, meaning that the available electricity to keep their systems going is limited.

In the latest move to keep Voyager 1 from shutting down, NASA has taken the decision to disable one of its three primary science instruments - the Low-energy Charged Particles experiment (LECP).This device measures low-energy charged particles and has recorded a wealth of data over the years - information that wouldn't be possible to obtain from anywhere else.

"While shutting down a science instrument is not anybody's preference, it is the best option available," said Voyager mission manager Kareem Badaruddin.

"Voyager 1 still has two remaining operating science instruments - one that listens to plasma waves and one that measures magnetic fields. They are still working great, sending back data from a region of space no other human-made craft has ever explored."

"The team remains focused on keeping both Voyagers going for as long as possible."

Source: NASA.gov | Comments (0)

Tags: Voyager