Voyager 1 Restores Contact After Brief Communications Scare
WHO:
The Register - Kareem Badaruddin, Voyager mission manager at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, said, “This is the first time we've seen the spacecraft do something like this, but we are also at a point in the mission where we have to expect the unexpected.” He added, “We're relieved to be back in contact with Voyager 1 and are eager to understand what happened.”
Phys.org - NASA’s Voyager team and the Voyager 1 spacecraft were involved in the power-conservation effort and communications pause.
Mashable - NASA’s Voyager 1 spacecraft and mission control were involved in the reported communications outage.
WHAT:
The Register - A group of Voyager 1’s thrusters apparently went offline and backup thrusters switched on; the article said this could indicate the onboard computers detected a problem and placed the spacecraft in safe mode.
The Register - The “Big Bang” procedure turns off onboard devices and switches to lower-power alternatives; the article said it is expected to extend the spacecraft’s lifetime by a few years and postpone further instrument deactivation.
The Register - Voyager 1’s signal was undetectable on two scheduled Deep Space Network attempts, then reappeared.
Phys.org - The Voyager team completed an effort to conserve Voyager 1’s diminishing power supply.
Phys.org - Voyager 1 unexpectedly lost communication; the outage resolved itself after 48 hours.
Phys.org - After communication resumed, the team sent commands to troubleshoot the issue.
Mashable - Voyager 1 experienced what the article described as an “inexplicable communication outage.”
Mashable - The spacecraft was approaching a historic distance milestone.
WHEN:
Phys.org - The power-conservation effort was completed in September.
Phys.org - The communications loss occurred on Oct. 20 and resolved after 48 hours.
WHY:
Phys.org - The power-conservation effort addressed Voyager 1’s diminishing power supply.
Mashable - The cause of the communications outage was described as inexplicable.
HOW:
The Register - Once Voyager 1 reaches the one-light-day distance, commands will take 24 hours to reach it and responses will take another 24 hours to reach Earth.
Phys.org - The team sought to conserve power through a months-long effort and sent commands to Voyager 1 to troubleshoot the communications issue.
(UPDATED October 30, 2026 22:03 UTC)
Voyager 1 has resumed contact after an unexpected communications outage lasting about 48 hours. NASA engineers are investigating, after the spacecraft’s signal vanished during scheduled checks. The team is conserving Voyager’s dwindling power, hoping to extend its mission.
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(UPDATED October 30, 2026 15:08 UTC)
NASA’s Voyager 1 unexpectedly lost communication, then reconnected after 48 hours. Mission control sent commands to troubleshoot the outage, whose cause remains unclear. The team also completed a months-long effort to conserve the spacecraft’s dwindling power.