NASA has switched off a key instrument on Voyager 1 to conserve power, aiming to extend the life of humanity’s farthest spacecraft and continue interstellar data transmission.

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• NASA shut down the Low-Energy Charged Particles (LECP) instrument on Voyager 1 on April 17 to conserve limited onboard power.
• The LECP instrument measured low-energy ions, electrons, and cosmic rays from the solar system and galaxy, providing critical scientific data since the spacecraft’s 1977 launch.
• The shutdown is part of a long-term strategy to extend Voyager 1’s operational life into the 2030s as its nuclear power source gradually weakens over time.
• Engineers at Jet Propulsion Laboratory confirmed the move will provide approximately one additional year of operational capacity for the spacecraft.
• Voyager 1 now continues with two active instruments that study plasma waves and magnetic fields, still sending unique data from interstellar space.
• Earlier in February 2026, NASA had already switched off the cosmic ray subsystem, another key instrument used to detect high-energy particles beyond the heliosphere.
• Voyager 1 crossed the heliosphere boundary in 2012, becoming the first human-made object to enter interstellar space, a milestone in space exploration history.
• Powered by radioisotope thermoelectric generators, the spacecraft loses around four watts of power annually, forcing gradual shutdown of systems to maintain core communication.
• Currently over 15 billion miles from Earth, Voyager 1 remains the most distant human-made object, with signals taking more than 23 hours to travel one way.