In a setback for the iconic Voyager 2 mission, NASA has lost contact with the spacecraft after mistakenly sending it the wrong command, BBC reported. The incident occurred last month when the probe, which has been exploring the universe since 1977, tilted its antenna two degrees away from Earth in response to the erroneous command. As a result, Voyager 2 has ceased receiving commands or transmitting data, leaving the space agency anxious for communication to be re-established.
Currently, Voyager 2 is positioned an astonishing 19.9 bn km from Earth, hurtling through interstellar space at an estimated speed of 34,390 mph (55,346 km/h). Despite its vast distance, NASA remains hopeful that communication with the probe will resume when it is scheduled to reset its orientation on October 15.
To facilitate this, NASA's Deep Space Network, a collection of enormous radio antennae located across the globe, has been working tirelessly to detect any faint signals emanating from Voyager 2. NASA on July 31, issued a statement clarifying that due to the vast distance, it takes over 18 hours for signals to travel between the probe and Earth. The plan is also to bombard Voyager 2's vicinity with the correct command in the hopes of reestablishing contact with the spacecraft.
NASA took it on X to officially announce the hiatus of V2
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! - V1
— NASA Voyager (@NASAVoyager) July 28, 2023
More info from our team: https://t.co/S3BFRo9Va9
In the meantime, Voyager 2 will continue to follow its planned trajectory through the universe, laden with valuable science instruments that have provided invaluable data over the years. The probe's twin, Voyager 1, has also made impressive strides in space exploration, now nearly 15 bn miles away from Earth, making it the most distant spacecraft created by humanity.
Both Voyager missions were uniquely designed to exploit a rare alignment of outer planets, occurring roughly every 176 years, to explore the gas giants Jupiter and Saturn. Voyager 2 holds the distinction of being the only spacecraft to fly by Neptune and Uranus, while its counterpart, Voyager 1, entered interstellar space in 2012. Voyager 2 followed suit in 2018, marking historic achievements for humanity in space exploration.
On a heartwarming note, both Voyager spacecraft carry a Golden Record, containing Earth's sounds, images, and messages, intended to convey a story of our world to potential extraterrestrial civilizations. Despite the temporary communication hiatus, NASA remains optimistic about restoring contact with Voyager 2 during its scheduled reset in October.
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