Voyager 1, launched in September 1977, is currently exploring the farthest edges of the solar system. (Image credit: NASA) Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Get the Space.com Newsletter Breaking space news, the latest updates on rocket launches, skywatching events and more!
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An account already exists for this email address, please log in. Subscribe to our newsletterNASA engineers have shut down another instrument on Voyager 1 to preserve the power of the most distant spacecraft ever sent into space. The Low-energy Charged Particles experiment (LECP) was turned off on Friday (April 17) to ensure Voyager 1 has more time available to continue its exploration of space beyond the solar system.
Launched in 1977, Voyager 1 left the solar system on August 25, 2012, passing a bubble of charged particles called the Heliopause that marks the outer limit of the sun's cosmic backyard. As of this month, the spacecraft is the most distant man-made object from Earth at over 15 billion miles (24 billion kilometers) away.
Voyager 1 and its interstellar-exploring twin Voyager 2 have been providing vital data about the so-called interstellar medium. The fact that they are currently the only spacecraft beyond the solar system means they are uniquely positioned to collect this information.
LECP has been operating aboard Voyager 1 almost since its launch. The purpose of the experiment is to measure low-energy charged particles from the solar system and beyond, such as ions, electrons, and so-called cosmic rays. The choice to switch off LECP wasn't random. NASA engineers agreed years ago on the order in which Voyager 1 instruments should be shut down to preserve the dwindling nuclear power of the spacecraft. Voyager 2's own LECP instrument was silenced in March 2025. The Voyager twins left Earth with identical suites of 10 instruments, of which only three now remain operational on both spacecraft.
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Robert LeaSenior WriterRobert Lea is a science journalist in the U.K. whose articles have been published in Physics World, New Scientist, Astronomy Magazine, All About Space, Newsweek and ZME Science. He also writes about science communication for Elsevier and the European Journal of Physics. Rob holds a bachelor of science degree in physics and astronomy from the U.K.’s Open University. Follow him on Twitter @sciencef1rst.
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