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NASA Shuts Down Voyager 1 Instrument to Conserve Power

4/20/2026

Summary

Story summary

NASA announced the shutdown of Voyager 1's Low-energy Charged Particles (LECP) instrument to conserve power as the spacecraft approaches the end of its operational life.
Launched in 1977, Voyager 1 is over 15 billion miles from Earth and has surpassed its initial five-year mission by nearly 50 years.
Engineers at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory are implementing a power conservation plan called "the Big Bang" to extend the mission.
If successful, Voyager 1 could continue sending data into the 2030s, remaining the most distant human-made object.

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Story summary

NASA announced the shutdown of Voyager 1's Low-energy Charged Particles (LECP) instrument to conserve power as the spacecraft approaches the end of its operational life.
Launched in 1977, Voyager 1 is over 15 billion miles from Earth and has surpassed its initial five-year mission by nearly 50 years.
Engineers at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory are implementing a power conservation plan called "the Big Bang" to extend the mission.
If successful, Voyager 1 could continue sending data into the 2030s, remaining the most distant human-made object.