Software Update Ensures Longevity and Data Accuracy for Voyager 2 in Space

A software update is being installed for Voyager 2 in an attempt to keep the space working as long as possible. Last year, Voyager 1’s Attitude and Attitude Control System (AACS) started sending random data back to Earth, and it took NASA engineers months to figure out why. It turns out that the AACS has entered an incorrect mode, but the reason behind the mode shift is not initially clear. This firmware is designed to prevent the same thing from happening with Voyager 2 (and with Voyager 1 again). Susan Dodd, Voyager project manager, explains, “This patch is like an insurance policy that will protect us in the future and help us keep these ships as long as possible… These are the only ships that have ever operated in outer space, so the data they send back is uniquely valuable.” “For our understanding of our local universe,” as Voyager 2 is more than 12 billion miles away, it took more than 18 hours to send a software update to the device on Friday. There is a risk that the software update could overwrite the underlying code or have unexpected results, so a read of the AACS memory is performed to make sure it is in the right place. If no anomalies are found, the update will go live on October 28. Voyager 1 also needs to install the patch, but because it is located farther from Earth (more than 15 billion miles) the data it sends back is more valuable. With this in mind, NASA decided to use Voyager 2 as a “twin tester.” Voyager 2 ran into a problem of its own earlier this year when NASA lost contact with the device due to a series of planned commands that “accidentally caused the antenna to point 2 degrees away from Earth.” Contact was reestablished using Interstellar Cry, allowing the mission to continue until at least 2026.