The wait hasn’t been too long, fortunately. Less than a week after NASA picked up a ‘heartbeat’ signal from Voyager 2, which had been lost in the vastness of space since last July due to a technical glitch, the U.S. space agency confirmed this past Friday that it has reestablished contact with the probe.
“On July 21st, an inadvertent command sent to Voyager 2 caused its antenna to rotate two degrees in the opposite direction of Earth, resulting in an automatic loss of communication with NASA.
Two weeks later, during a sky scan, NASA detected what appeared to be a ‘heartbeat’ signal from Voyager 2, essentially confirming that the space probe was still out there and in good condition, along with its approximate location. With renewed hopes of reestablishing contact, it was now just a matter of time to regain communication.”
“At the latest, NASA only had to wait until October 15th. On that day, Voyager 2 is programmed to reset its orientation towards Earth, a task it automatically performs several times a year.
However, the wait didn’t last long, as the miracle happened just 3 days later. A one-way radio signal was transmitted from NASA’s Deep Space Communications Complex in Canberra, Australia, to the approximate location of Voyager 2.”
After a nerve-wracking wait of 37 hours (18.5 hours for the signal to reach the probe and another 18.5 to receive the response), Voyager 2 started sending scientific data back to NASA, confirming the reestablishment of communication.
The space agency states that the probe is functioning properly and continues its course into the depths of space.
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