Summary
NASA engineers have redesigned Voyager 2’s power use so that three science instruments can continue operating in interstellar space for at least one extra year. The change addresses the spacecraft’s steadily declining electrical supply after almost half a century in operation.
NASA engineers have found a way to keep three of Voyager 2’s science instruments operating for at least one additional year, despite the spacecraft’s steadily declining power supply. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory announced the engineering change on Aug. 4, 2026.
The effort, nicknamed “Big Bang,” involved switching off selected powered devices while substituting lower-power alternatives. The team also had to ensure that Voyager 2 remained warm enough for its systems to function. Together, those changes reduce the spacecraft’s power demand without requiring another science instrument to be shut down.
Why Voyager 2 is running short of power
Voyager 2 receives electricity from radioisotope thermoelectric generators, or RTGs. These devices use heat produced by decaying plutonium and convert part of it into electrical power.
The plutonium supply gradually declines, so the spacecraft loses about 4 watts of available power each year. After almost half a century since launch, Voyager 2 has very little spare capacity. Mission engineers have therefore been turning off non-essential devices and systems as the available power margin narrows.
A watt measures the rate at which power is supplied or consumed. Losing several watts each year is significant for a spacecraft whose systems were designed around a limited electrical budget. The team must balance the needs of communications, spacecraft operation, temperature control and scientific instruments.
How the engineering change preserves science
The Big Bang operation combines two forms of conservation: removing power use that is no longer essential and moving selected functions to lower-power alternatives. Carrying out those changes together allowed the team to redirect the savings toward Voyager 2’s scientific equipment.
NASA says the resulting power savings should keep three science instruments operating for at least one extra year while Voyager 2 continues its work in interstellar space. The extension preserves an opportunity to collect more measurements from a spacecraft that has been operating for nearly five decades, even as its original power source continues to weaken.
The announcement gives a projected minimum extension rather than a new final date for Voyager 2’s science operations. Its central result is an operational one: careful power management has delayed the need to turn off additional science instruments.