NASA Picks up Voyager-2 Signal After Losing Contact by Sending Wrong Command

Voyager 2 space probe payload entry in Titan-III rocketPhoto byWikimedia

NASA's Voyager 2, adrift billions of miles away in interstellar space, has finally reestablished contact after days of silence, reported the Associated Press(AP) from Cape Canaveral, Florida.

The spacecraft lost communication because of a mistaken command that shifted its antenna away from Earth. However, there's good news as the agency's Deep Space Network recently detected a "heartbeat signal," confirming that the 46-year-old craft is still operational.

Suzanne Dodd, the project manager of the Voyager Interstellar Mission, expressed immense relief upon receiving the news, and now flight controllers will make an attempt to realign the antenna towards Earth.

Though they hold some skepticism about the command's success, a spacecraft reset is scheduled for October if needed.

Voyager 1, the twin of Voyager 2, launched in 1977, remains in communication and currently holds the title of the most distant spacecraft, positioned 15 billion miles from Earth.

In comparison, Voyager 2 trails behind in interstellar space at a staggering distance of over 12 billion miles, resulting in an 18-hour signal travel time. Despite the challenges, NASA is diligently working to reestablish full communication with this seasoned spacecraft.

You might have heard... Voyager 2 is taking a break from sending data until October. In the meantime, I'm out here, almost 15 billion miles (24 billion km) from Earth and doing fine! - NASA, via X (formerly Twitter)

Voyager 2 reached interstellar space in 2018 and is the only spacecraft to fly by Neptune and Uranus.

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