Voyager 1 probe transmits data again for first time in months

The probe has no longer sent reliable scientific and technical information on its condition since November.

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An illustration of the Voyager 1 probe near Jupiter.  (STEVEN HOBBS / NOVAPIX)

News from an object that is about 24 billion kilometers from us. The Voyager 1 probe transmitted readable data for the first time in five months, NASA said Monday April 22. According to the American space agency, the probe has no longer sent reliable scientific and technical information on its condition since November.

NASA teams could still send orders and the probe, launched more than 46 years ago, continued to operate normally. The problem came from a chip in one of the on-board computers, responsible for formatting scientific and technical data before sending it to Earth. A solution to move the necessary code was finally found.

NASA was able to check the health of the spacecraft for the first time since November, and will continue to implement the same solution to recover scientific data. Along with its twin Voyager 2, the two probes are the only ones to travel in interstellar space. They carry on board recordings of sounds and images of the Earth on gold and copper plates.


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