NASA’s Voyager 1 spacecraft has recently started sending back usable engineering data after engineers found a way to overcome a malfunctioning memory chip. The spacecraft had been producing nonsensical data since 2023, until engineers pinpointed the issue to a damaged chip that stored part of the Flight Data Subsystem (FDS) memory.
The failure of the chip made data from the probe inaccessible and presented a challenge for engineers to troubleshoot. The affected chip contained crucial code for the FDS computer, and relocating the code to another single location was not feasible due to size limitations. The solution involved breaking the code into segments, adjusting them to work together, and moving them to different areas within the FDS. Any references to the code’s new locations also had to be updated.
Currently more than 15 billion miles away from Earth, Voyager 1 has a significant communication delay of around 22.5 hours for signals to travel from Earth to the spacecraft and back. Engineers successfully moved the code related to packaging engineering data to a new location on April 18, and by April 20, they confirmed that the fix worked, allowing engineering data to be transmitted from the spacecraft once again.
Over the upcoming weeks, the team plans to relocate the remaining impacted software, which will facilitate the return of science data from the long-standing craft. Dr. Garry Hunt, a veteran Voyager scientist, expressed excitement over the development but cautioned that it would take time to prepare the spacecraft for scientific operations due to the extended communication intervals. He praised JPL engineers for their brilliance in resolving the issue and highlighted the extraordinary longevity of Voyager 1, launched in 1977, which continues to exceed expectations.
The recent success with Voyager 1’s memory chip problem provides a positive outcome for JPL amidst challenges in NASA’s budget. It serves as a testament to the enduring success and foresight of past missions, with Voyager 1 potentially operational more than 50 years after its launch. The achievement reaffirms the legacy of exploration and technological innovation that continues to inspire future space endeavors.