Voyager 2 Mission Status: Tracking Humanity’s Interstellar Explorer

Voyager 2 remains one of the most significant achievements in the history of space exploration. As the second-farthest human-made object in existence, trailing only its twin Voyager 1, it continues to send vital data back to Earth from interstellar space. This guide covers the current operational status of the probe, recent technical challenges, and the specific measures NASA is taking to keep the mission alive.

Current Location and Distance

Launched on August 20, 1977, Voyager 2 has traveled for over 47 years. It is currently located in interstellar space, the region between stars, having exited the heliosphere (the protective bubble of particles and magnetic fields created by our Sun).

As of late 2024, the specific metrics of Voyager 2’s journey include:

• Distance from Earth: Approximately 13.7 billion miles (22 billion kilometers).
• Distance from the Sun: Approximately 13.8 billion miles.
• One-Way Light Time: It takes roughly 20 hours and 30 minutes for a radio signal to travel from the spacecraft to NASA’s Deep Space Network (DSN) on Earth. This means any command sent by engineers requires a round-trip wait of over 41 hours to verify success.
• Speed: The probe is traveling at roughly 34,390 miles per hour (55,340 kilometers per hour) relative to the Sun.

Unlike Voyager 1, which exited the heliosphere in 2012, Voyager 2 crossed this boundary on November 5, 2018. It holds the unique distinction of being the only spacecraft to have visited Uranus and Neptune during its primary mission.

Recent Mission Updates and Technical Health

Operating 1970s technology in the harsh environment of deep space requires constant vigilance. The engineering team at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) manages the spacecraft with extreme care.

The October 2024 Instrument Shutdown

The most significant recent update regarding the mission status occurred in late September and early October 2024. To conserve dwindling power supplies, NASA engineers commanded Voyager 2 to shut down its plasma science instrument.

This instrument played a critical role in 2018 by detecting the drop in solar particles that confirmed the probe had left the heliosphere. However, as the spacecraft moves deeper into interstellar space, the instrument’s ability to collect data has become limited due to its orientation relative to the flow of plasma.

Shutting down this specific instrument releases roughly 4 watts of power. This conservation measure is essential to keep the remaining four scientific instruments operational. NASA estimates that this sacrifice will allow the probe to continue gathering other types of physics data into the 2030s.

The “Interstellar Shout” of 2023

The mission faced a terrifying moment in July 2023. A series of planned commands sent to the spacecraft inadvertently caused its antenna to point 2 degrees away from Earth. This severance of communication left Voyager 2 unable to receive commands or transmit data.

While the spacecraft was programmed to automatically reset its orientation in October of that year, NASA did not want to wait months without contact. In August 2023, the Deep Space Network facility in Canberra, Australia, transmitted a high-power “interstellar shout.” This amplified signal successfully reached the probe, instructing it to reorient its antenna. The spacecraft obeyed, and normal communications resumed immediately.

Power Management: The Race Against Decay

Voyager 2 is powered by a Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator (RTG). This device converts heat from the natural radioactive decay of plutonium-238 into electricity.

Because the plutonium decays over time, the generator produces slightly less power every year (a loss of about 4 watts annually). When launched, the RTG provided 470 watts. Today, it generates significantly less, forcing engineers to make difficult choices.

To keep the mission running, the team has taken the following steps:

1. Turning off heaters: In 2019, engineers turned off the heater for the cosmic ray subsystem instrument. Surprisingly, the instrument continued to work despite dropping to temperatures of minus 74 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 59 degrees Celsius).
2. Voltage regulation: The spacecraft is now operating slightly below the voltage levels it was designed for. While risky, this stabilizes the power supply for the remaining instruments.
3. Instrument retirement: As seen with the plasma science instrument in 2024, functioning hardware must eventually be turned off to prioritize the most critical data streams.

Active Scientific Instruments

Despite the shutdowns, Voyager 2 remains a functioning science laboratory. As of late 2024, four of its original ten instruments are still collecting and transmitting data:

• Cosmic Ray Subsystem (CRS): Measures high-energy particles originating from the Sun and sources outside our solar system.
• Low-Energy Charged Particle Instrument (LECP): Studies the distribution and motion of ions and electrons.
• Magnetometer (MAG): Measures the magnetic field of the Sun and the interstellar medium.
• Plasma Wave Subsystem (PWS): Analyzes plasma waves, which provided the “sound” of interstellar space.

Note that the cameras (Imaging Science Subsystem) were turned off shortly after the Neptune flyby in 1989 to save power and memory, as there are no light sources or planetary bodies near enough to photograph in interstellar space.

Future Outlook

NASA projects that at least one science instrument on Voyager 2 could continue to operate until roughly 2030. Eventually, the power output will drop below the level required to run any instruments or the transmitter.

Once the spacecraft falls silent, it will continue its trajectory indefinitely. In approximately 40,000 years, Voyager 2 will pass within 1.7 light-years of the star Ross 248. Until then, it serves as a silent ambassador, carrying the famous Golden Record—a phonograph record containing sounds and images selected to portray the diversity of life and culture on Earth.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can Voyager 2 still take pictures? No. The cameras on Voyager 2 were deactivated in 1989 after it passed Neptune. The software that controlled the cameras was removed to save memory for other instruments, and there is not enough light or power to use them even if they were active.

How does NASA communicate with Voyager 2? NASA uses the Deep Space Network (DSN), a collection of massive radio antennas located in California, Spain, and Australia. Because Voyager 2 is moving downward relative to the plane of the solar system, it can only be reached by the antennas at the Canberra, Australia facility.

Will Voyager 2 ever return to Earth? No. The spacecraft is on a one-way trajectory out of the solar system. It is moving at escape velocity, meaning the Sun’s gravity is not strong enough to pull it back.

What happens when the power runs out? When the plutonium generator can no longer power the transmitter, Voyager 2 will stop sending data. It will remain a cohesive object and continue drifting through the Milky Way galaxy, likely outlasting Earth itself.