Aug. 1 (UPI) — Despite the loss of communication with Voyager 2, scientists assure that the space probe is still functioning as intended, according to a statement released by NASA on Tuesday.
NASA revealed that it has detected a “heartbeat” signal from Voyager 2, confirming that the probe is operating normally as it has for the past 46 years, even though ground trackers are currently unable to establish contact with the spacecraft, which is over 12 billion miles away from Earth.
NASA aims to reconnect with Voyager 2 in October.
Using NASA’s Deep Space Network radio telescopes, the space agency successfully detected the “heartbeat” signal from the spacecraft. These telescopes, spread across the globe, are employed to monitor interplanetary space missions.
“This successful detection of the ‘heartbeat’ signal from the spacecraft has uplifted our spirits. It confirms that Voyager 2 is alive and operational,” stated Suzanne Dodd, Voyager’s project manager at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif.
Last week, it was revealed that Voyager 2 lost contact due to erroneous computer commands that disrupted communication. Launched in 1977, the probe’s mission is to explore deep space and serve as an ambassador for humanity in case of an encounter with extraterrestrial life.
The computer commands redirected Voyager 2’s antennas away from Earth’s data transmission and reception points.
Officials have determined that Voyager 2 will automatically search for Earth’s antennas again on October 15.
While Voyager 2 continues its interstellar journey, its twin probe, Voyager 1, remains operational and is currently almost 15 billion miles away from Earth.
Both spacecraft carry “Golden Records,” which function as time capsules intended to communicate with extraterrestrial beings about humanity and its origins. These records contain a variety of sounds and images illustrating the diversity of life on Earth and are made of 12-inch, gold-plated “phonograph records.”
Voyager 2 holds the distinction of being the only spacecraft to have come close to the solar system’s two outermost planets: Uranus in 1986 and Neptune in 1989.
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