Source: Fox News
“NASA shut down one of Voyager 1’s science instruments to conserve dwindling power and keep the nearly 49-year-old spacecraft operating as it continues its journey through interstellar space more than 15 billion miles from Earth. Engineers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Southern California sent commands Friday to turn off Voyager 1’s Low-Energy Charged Particles (LECP) experiment, a long-running instrument that has operated almost continuously since the spacecraft launched in 1977. The move comes as the nuclear-powered probe loses about 4 watts of power each year, and mission managers work to stretch its remaining lifespan. ‘While shutting down a science instrument is not anybody’s preference, it is the best option available,’ Kareem Badaruddin, Voyager mission manager at JPL, said in a statement.” (04/21/26)
https://www.foxnews.com/science/nasa-shuts-voyager-1-instrument-save-power-15b-miles-earth