NASA updates Voyager 2 to extend the 1977 probe's lifespan yet again
News NASA updates Voyager 2 to extend the 1977 probe's lifespan yet again A software update, sent across 13 billion miles, gives it one more year of operation. 11, 2026 7:58 am EST NASA/JPL-Caltech Voyager 2 has been in space for almost 50 years, but it's not ready to retire just yet. NASA has recently made changes to its settings in an operation it called "Big Bang," allowing it to run and do science in its current state for one more year.
- ▪News NASA updates Voyager 2 to extend the 1977 probe's lifespan yet again A software update, sent across 13 billion miles, gives it one more year of operation.
- ▪11, 2026 7:58 am EST NASA/JPL-Caltech Voyager 2 has been in space for almost 50 years, but it's not ready to retire just yet.
- ▪NASA has recently made changes to its settings in an operation it called "Big Bang," allowing it to run and do science in its current state for one more year.
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| Original publisher | Engadget |
| Canonical URL | https://www.engadget.com/2234376/nasa-updates-voyager-2-keep-operating/ |
| Publication time | Tue, 11 Aug 2026 11:58:34 +0000 |
| Retrieval time | 2026-08-11T12:05:47.867Z |
| Last seen | 2026-08-11T12:05:47.867Z |
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| Cluster | et7ycOlovqto · 1 stories |
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| Publisher visit | Yes — open original |
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Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
News NASA updates Voyager 2 to extend the 1977 probe's lifespan yet again A software update, sent across 13 billion miles, gives it one more year of operation. By Mariella Moon Aug. 11, 2026 7:58 am EST NASA/JPL-Caltech Voyager 2 has been in space for almost 50 years, but it's not ready to retire just yet. NASA has recently made changes to its settings in an operation it called "Big Bang," allowing it to run and do science in its current state for one more year. See, Voyager 2's power source is its radioisotope thermoelectric generator, which converts heat from decaying plutonium into electricity. Since the plutonium gets more and more depleted, the space probe loses around 4 watts of power every year. When the spacecraft launched in 1977, it had 10 functional scientific instruments.
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