Voyager 2's Innovative Power Strategy for Science Quest 12 Billion Miles Away

NASA's Voyager 2 spacecraft, which is more than 12 billion miles away from Earth, has begun using a small reservoir of backup power to keep its science instruments operating despite a diminishing power supply. This innovative power strategy will enable the mission to postpone shutting down a science instrument until 2026, rather than this year, and potentially continue for years to come. Voyager 2 and its twin Voyager 1 are the only spacecraft ever to operate outside the heliosphere, the protective bubble of particles and magnetic fields generated by the Sun, and are helping scientists answer questions about the shape of the heliosphere and its role in protecting Earth from the energetic particles and other radiation found in the interstellar environment.