NASA Shuts Down Voyager 1 Science Instrument to Extend Probe's Life

The iconic spacecraft, launched nearly 50 years ago, is running low on power but engineers are working to keep it operating into the 2030s.

Apr. 19, 2026 at 3:43pm

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A highly structured abstract painting in muted earth tones, featuring sweeping geometric arcs, concentric circles, and precise botanical spirals, conveying the complex forces and vast distances of interstellar space that Voyager 1 is exploring.As Voyager 1 pushes deeper into the void between stars, NASA engineers work to conserve the aging probe's dwindling power to keep its groundbreaking interstellar exploration alive.Cape Canaveral Today

Nearly half a century after its launch, NASA's Voyager 1 spacecraft is running low on power. Engineers at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory have now shut down one of the probe's science instruments, the Low-energy Charged Particles (LECP) experiment, in order to conserve power and extend the mission. Voyager 1 is the most distant human-made object ever built and continues to make groundbreaking observations of interstellar space.

Why it matters

Voyager 1 has been operating for nearly 50 years, far exceeding its original 5-year mission. As the spacecraft's power supply dwindles, NASA is taking steps to preserve its most critical capabilities and continue receiving valuable data from the edge of our solar system and beyond.

The details

Voyager 1 was launched in 1977 and used gravity assists to visit Jupiter and Saturn before continuing on an interstellar trajectory. In 2012, it became the first human-made object to enter interstellar space. The spacecraft runs on a radioisotope thermoelectric generator that is slowly losing power, forcing engineers to make difficult decisions about which instruments to keep operating. The recent shutdown of the LECP instrument is part of a larger power conservation plan that could allow at least one instrument on each Voyager spacecraft to continue functioning into the 2030s.

  • Voyager 1 was launched on September 5, 1977 from Cape Canaveral, Florida.
  • In March 1979, Voyager 1 flew by Jupiter.
  • In November 1980, Voyager 1 reached Saturn.
  • On August 25, 2012, Voyager 1 crossed the heliopause and entered interstellar space.
  • In late February 2026, Voyager 1's power levels fell unexpectedly, prompting the shutdown of the LECP instrument on April 17, 2026.

The players

Voyager 1

A robotic space probe launched by NASA in 1977 that is the most distant human-made object ever built. It is currently over 15 billion miles from Earth.

Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)

A federally funded research center managed by the California Institute of Technology that designed and built the Voyager spacecraft.

Kareem Badaruddin

The Voyager mission manager at JPL.

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What they’re saying

“While shutting down a science instrument is not anybody's preference, it is the best option available.”

— Kareem Badaruddin, Voyager Mission Manager, JPL

What’s next

Engineers at JPL are developing a more comprehensive power conservation plan, informally called "the Big Bang", that would involve a coordinated swap of several powered components on Voyager 1 to lower-power alternatives. If testing on Voyager 2 in May-June 2026 is successful, the same procedure could be attempted on Voyager 1 as early as July 2026, potentially allowing the LECP instrument to resume operations.

The takeaway

The continued operation of the Voyager 1 spacecraft, nearly 50 years after its launch, is a remarkable engineering feat. As the probe's power supply dwindles, NASA's JPL team is making difficult decisions to preserve its most critical capabilities and ensure it can continue making groundbreaking observations of interstellar space for years to come.