PASADENA, Calif. – NASA has reconnected with Voyager 1 after a brief communication loss, over 15 billion miles from Earth. Launched from Cape Canaveral in 1977, the spacecraft switched to its S-band transmitter following an apparent shutdown of its X-band transmitter. Although the S-band transmits data at a slower rate and with a weaker signal, it’s still detectable from Earth.

Voyager 1, the farthest human-made object from Earth, is now in interstellar space—a region beyond the Sun’s gravitational and magnetic influence. This area, explored only by the Voyager spacecraft, is marked by extreme conditions such as near-absolute-zero temperatures, high radiation, and scattered debris.

NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory has gradually shut down non-essential systems on Voyager 1 over the years to conserve power. The flight team believes the fault protection system activated twice, causing the switch to the S-band, which hadn’t been used since 1981.

Voyager 2, around 13 billion miles from Earth, has also encountered issues due to aging, with communication disruptions and degrading thrusters. NASA projects that in 40,000 years, Voyager 2 will pass near the star Ross 248, over 10 light-years away.

Both Voyager probes have surpassed their expected operational timelines and may keep at least one instrument running until 2025. Even after all instruments shut down, data analysis from the transmissions is expected to continue for years.

Each probe carries a Golden Record containing 115 images, Earth sounds, music, greetings in 55 languages, and messages from President Jimmy Carter and U.N. Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim—intended for any extraterrestrial civilization that might encounter them as they drift through the Milky Way.