NASA's spacecraft Voyager 2 'unable to receive commands or transmit data back to Earth’

[Elderberry]

mint by  Fareha Naaz 7/30/2023

NASA's Voyager 2 spacecraft, currently in interstellar space, is facing communication difficulties caused by an antenna misalignment.

Due to this issue, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Voyager 2 spacecraft is unable to receive commands or transmit data back to Earth. However, NASA remains hopeful that the problem will be resolved during the next orientation reset scheduled for October. Voyager 2 holds the distinction of being one of the farthest human-made objects in space, trailing behind its predecessor, Voyager 1.

The recent communication setback was the result of planned commands inadvertently causing the spacecraft's antenna to point 2 degrees away from Earth on July 21. "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," Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), NASA's lab that operates the spacecraft, said in a statement on July 28.

The recent communication setback was the result of planned commands inadvertently causing the spacecraft's antenna to point 2 degrees away from Earth on July 21. "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," Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), NASA's lab that operates the spacecraft, said in a statement on July 28.

More: https://www.livemint.com/science/nasas-spacecraft-voyager-2-unable-to-receive-commands-or-transmit-data-back-to-earth-11690688356110.html

[bigheadfred]

This sounds like one of those 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it' things.

[DB]

This sounds like one of those 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it' things.

It likely needs pointing corrections made from time to time and somebody screwed up.

[Kamaji]

It should (fingers crossed) self-correct:

Voyager 2 is designed to realign its orientation multiple times each year, and the upcoming reset on October 15 is expected to restore communication with Earth, according to JPL.

Despite the temporary interruption in communication, the Voyager 2 mission team is confident that the spacecraft will continue on its planned trajectory during this period of silence, reported Hindustan Times. “The mission team expects Voyager 2 to remain on its planned trajectory during the quiet period," JPL stated. The Voyager 2 is the only spacecraft to have ever visited Uranus and Neptune.