Voyager 2: After a long wireless silence, the signal finally returns

There was quiet around the Voyager 2 spacecraft for a long time, and we were unable to receive a signal because the antenna on Earth had to be serviced.

Space probe Voyager 2 She has been on her mission in space for more than 43 years. The further away from us, the more difficult it is to maintain contact with the probe. There is only one antenna in the world used to communicate with Voyager 2. It is located in Australia and is part of the Canberra Deep Space Network.

Voyager 2 was on its own

However, it was precisely this antenna that had to be turned off last year because some maintenance and updates had to be done. During this time, the Voyager 2 was on its own. If there is an emergency, there is nothing we can do for them from the ground.

Like the Deutschland Funk Nova mentioned, The antenna in Canberra is back online and ready to use. For the first time in a long time, the radio link between Voyager 2 and Earth is being used again. The message should go a long way. It takes 17 hours and 35 minutes to get from Earth to the probe. On the night of February 14-15, 2021, I flag Voyager 2 again and I’m informed that everything is fine.

The wireless connection should remain stable

In the next step, an instruction is sent that the probe must turn off one of its sensors. This saves electricity, which means that the wireless connection must be maintained for as long as possible.

The Voyager 2 has been in interstellar space for a long time. Your little sister investigated, and Voyager 1 reached an impressive milestone last year.

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