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Voyager 2 spacecraft has been drifting in interstellar space since November 2018. Photo: NASA
NASA temporarily lost communication with the Voyager 2 spacecraft, the second artificial object to venture farthest from Earth into space, now cruising in interstellar space at a distance of 19.9 billion kilometers away from our planet. According to an announcement from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), scientists lost contact with the spacecraft on July 21 after a series of commands caused Voyager 2 to turn its antenna away from Earth by about 2 degrees.
Unable to transmit or receive messages from NASA’s Deep Space Network (a collection of large radio antennas supporting many interplanetary missions), Voyager 2 is essentially drifting alone in the darkness of space since departing the outer edges of the Solar System in November 2018.
NASA states that the loss of radio signal is only temporary. Voyager 2 is programmed to adjust its antenna direction a few times a year to maintain communication with Earth as it drifts farther away. The next adjustment is expected to occur on October 15, when contact with Voyager 2 will be restored.
The Voyager spacecraft pair was launched in August and September 1977, 16 days apart (Voyager 2 launched before Voyager 1). Both probes flew past planets on the outer fringe of the Solar System before passing through the heliopause, the outermost boundary of the solar atmosphere separating the system from interstellar space.
Voyager 1 reached interstellar space first, passing through the heliopause in August 2012. As the farthest man-made object ever created, Voyager 1 is currently 23.8 km away from Earth. Communication with Voyager 1 remains uninterrupted.
Both Voyager spacecraft have enough power and fuel to continue functioning at least until 2025, according to NASA. However, when the two probes permanently cease contact with Earth, their mission to the stars will continue. Preserved on both spacecraft is the Voyager Golden Record, a gold-plated copper phonograph record designed to share information about Earth with any extraterrestrial beings who might encounter the probe at some point. Each record contains 27 musical pieces, 22 minutes of natural sounds, and greetings spoken in 59 languages. The spacecraft also carries a phonograph playback machine with pictorial instructions and a star map with Earth’s position.