Hans Tucker
01-08-2023, 11:13 PM
NASA has lost contact with its legendary Voyager 2 space probe.
'A series of planned commands sent to NASA's Voyager 2 spacecraft on July 21 inadvertently caused the antenna to point 2 degrees away from Earth,' it said.
'As a result, Voyager 2 is currently unable to receive commands or transmit data back to Earth.'
Although it's considered a long shot, NASA said that Deep Space Station 43 – its huge dish antenna in Australia's capital Canberra – is on the lookout for any stray signals from Voyager 2.
Deep Space Station 43 is not only part of NASA's Deep Space Network but the only antenna on Earth that can send commands to Voyager 2.
In the coming week, the Canberra antenna will bombard Voyager 2's vicinity with signals in hopes it hits its mark.
Voyager 2 is programmed to reset its orientation multiple times each year to keep its antenna pointing at Earth.
The next reset will occur on October 15, which JPL said should enable communication to resume if it hasn't already.
'A series of planned commands sent to NASA's Voyager 2 spacecraft on July 21 inadvertently caused the antenna to point 2 degrees away from Earth,' it said.
'As a result, Voyager 2 is currently unable to receive commands or transmit data back to Earth.'
Although it's considered a long shot, NASA said that Deep Space Station 43 – its huge dish antenna in Australia's capital Canberra – is on the lookout for any stray signals from Voyager 2.
Deep Space Station 43 is not only part of NASA's Deep Space Network but the only antenna on Earth that can send commands to Voyager 2.
In the coming week, the Canberra antenna will bombard Voyager 2's vicinity with signals in hopes it hits its mark.
Voyager 2 is programmed to reset its orientation multiple times each year to keep its antenna pointing at Earth.
The next reset will occur on October 15, which JPL said should enable communication to resume if it hasn't already.