Why is NASA turning off Voyager 2’s instruments in deep space, 12 billion miles from home?

NASA has turned off a significant scientific instrument on its Voyager 2 spacecraft to save power and extend its mission. On October 1, the agency confirmed it had powered down the plasma science instrument in late September. This move aims to keep the spacecraft operational into the 2030s.

Voyager 2, launched in 1977, has uniquely visited Uranus and Neptune, performing flybys in 1986 and 1989, respectively. Currently, it is traveling through interstellar space along with its twin, Voyager 1.

Earlier, NASA had already shut down several instruments on both Voyager spacecraft after their successful exploration of the gas giants during the 1980s. Voyager 1's plasma science instrument stopped working in 2007.


Despite the latest shutdown, Voyager 2 will continue to operate four other instruments. These will collect data on magnetic fields and particles beyond the Sun's influence.

NASA stated that this power-saving measure is crucial for the longevity of the mission. Voyager 2 is now more than 12 billion miles from Earth, while Voyager 1 is over 15 billion miles away.