NASA’s Voyager 1 spacecraft, the farthest spacecraft from Earth, has resumed sending science data. The spacecraft had experienced a computer problem in November and its instruments were shut down. However, after receiving meaningful information from Voyager 1 in April, the team instructed it to resume studying its environment.
Launched in 1977, Voyager 1 is currently drifting through interstellar space, the space between star systems. Prior to entering this region, the spacecraft made significant discoveries such as a thin ring around Jupiter and several moons of Saturn. Voyager 1’s instruments are designed to gather data on plasma waves, magnetic fields, and particles in its surroundings.
Voyager 1 is currently situated over 15 billion miles (24.14 kilometers) away from Earth. Its twin spacecraft, Voyager 2, is also in interstellar space and is more than 12 billion miles (19.31 kilometers) from Earth. Despite their distance from Earth, both spacecraft continue to provide valuable insights into our universe and beyond.
