NASA Loses Contact With Voyager 2, But The Mission Isn't Over Yet

On August 20th, 1977, the Voyager 2 space probe was launched to explore the depths of the solar system and potentially beyond. As of July 28th, 2023, the Voyager 2 probe has travelled an astonishing 12.4 billion miles away from Earth, according to NASA. Today, the agency has reported that the probe will temporarily halt communications with homebase as the antenna is pointed in the wrong direction by a total of two degrees.

Two degrees may not seem like a lot, but when you are multiple billion miles away, every little bit of accuracy helps to get exploration data back. As a result, Voyager 2 is in what NASA calls a "quiet period" meaning that it cannot receive or send anything. Fortunately, two degrees isn't enough to kill the mission nearly 46 years after it started. NASA scientist have programmed the probe to automatically reset its orientation to point back to Earth. The next reset is scheduled for October 15th. Hopefully then communication will continue.  

Voyager 1, on the other hand, is doing just fine. It has travelled a total of 15 billion miles since it was launched on September 5th, 1977. In 2012, the Voyager 1 probe became the first manmade object to enter interstellar space, meaning that it has completely exited the solar system. It was later confirmed in 2013. Voyager 2 followed and left the influence of the Sun in 2018. 

Both Voyager probes are notable for carrying what's called "The Golden Record." The record contains sounds and images that are indicative of life on Earth, like pictures of people, nature, and daily life. The sounds on the record are not only recordings of people and nature, but musical selections as well from classical artists and traditional music from cultures all around the world. Chuck Berry's "Johnny B. Goode" is also on the record as a treat for whatever extraterrestrial being may recover either probe.

In approximately 2025, both Voyager probes are expected to cease transmitting due to a lack of power, officially bringing the mission to an end.