NASA’s distant spacecraft Voyager 1 overcomes memory corruption and data glitch, providing new insights from interstellar territory

The NASA-operated spacecraft Voyager 1, located around 24 billion kilometres (almost 15 billon miles) from Earth and currently travelling at almost 60,000 kilometers an hour has experienced another unexpected problem. After suffering through five months of incomprehensible data transmitted by its flight data system’s telemetry modulation unit since November last year, NASA engineers have managed to fix the issue with a creative solution that allowed them to receive decipherable information for the first time during April 20. As per latest estimates given Voyager’s immense distance from Earth and travel speed it takes around 45 hours for signals between our planet and this pioneering probe. The device’s memory was also discovered corrupted as engineers examined what exactly led to faults plaguing NASA‘S Viking 1, the longest-running spacecraft in history launched by Nasa over four decades ago has managed to overcome another hurdle with a creative solution that allowed them to receive decipherable information for the first time during April 20.
As per latest estimates given Voyager’s immense distance from Earth and travel speed it takes around 45 hours – inbound from or sent onwards toward an explorer 18 times farther away than the moon-for signals between our planet and this pioneering probe. The flight data system (FDS) is a critical component that collects information gathered by Voyager’s science instruments as well as engineering status reports, before transmitting it to Earth in binary code format.
The FDS problem first emerged back in November 2023 when the telemetry modulation unit started sending an indecipherable pattern of repetitive data and NASA engineers worked for a while with an intention towards crafting a creative solution that allowed them to receive decipherable information from Voyager during April 20. The device’s memory was also discovered corrupted as they delved into what led the probe to fall victim once again to further hurdles plaguing NASA’S Viking 1, which is currently around 15 billion miles (almost 24 billion kilometers) from Earth and travelling at almost 60,000 kilometers an hour.
“Voyager has surprised us time and time again,” said Suzanne Dodd, project manager for Voyagers I& II in a press statement as scientists also speculate how they have not managed to experience these maladies all these decades – owing its impressive long life span since the spacecraft was launched by NASA over four decades ago.
“We’ve had many anomalies,” said Dodd, “and we continue learning more about Voyager and operating in this uncharted territory.” As per reports of previous discoveries both machines which initially started functioning on two conditions as Nasa has recently revealed that the twin spacecraft have been able to offer new insights into our solar system after achieving their preliminary goals of flying by Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune decades ago.
The Voyager 1 is currently travelling through uncharted cosmic territory along with its twin sibling which has travelled over more than 20 billion kilometers (almost 13 billion miles) from our planet – both are in interstellar space, the bubble of magnetic fields and particles that extends well beyond Pluto’s orbit.
The team is now working on relocating other affected parts of Voyager’s system software too in due time during following days once these discoveries provide clear results, since data transmitted by this device will help them to better understand the spacecraft as it continues its pioneering voyage out into our galaxy – all whilst dodging interstellar obstacles.
“We never know for sure what’s going to happen with Voyager,” said Dodd in a press statement “but we constantly amazes me when they just keep going.”