Farthest human-made object in space loses contact, goes nearly one light-day away from Earth

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1. 1h ago

   Voyager 1 restores contact ahead of one light-day distance milestone

   NASA has restored communication with Voyager 1 following a brief period of silence in October. The spacecraft resumed transmitting after a blackout that lasted between 24 and 48 hours depending on the report. Engineers are investigating the cause, with one report citing a thruster anomaly while NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory noted the probe conserved power. Voyager 1 is now approaching a distance of one light-day from Earth, a milestone it is projected to reach on November 18, 2026, which will result in 48-hour round-trip communication times.

   Why it matters

   Launched on September 5, 1977, Voyager 1 is the most distant human-made object and the first to enter interstellar space. It uses the NASA Deep Space Network to transmit data from beyond the Sun's heliosphere.

   What is confirmed

   • Voyager 1 was launched by NASA on September 5, 1977.
   • The spacecraft is the most distant human-made object from Earth.
   • Voyager 1 briefly lost contact with Earth in mid-October before signal returned on October 20.
   • The probe is projected to reach a distance of one light-day from Earth in November 2026.
   • As of March 2026, Voyager 1 was 172.59 AU from Earth.

   Still unconfirmed

   • The communications loss was caused by a thruster anomaly.
   • The spacecraft will reach the one light-day milestone specifically on November 18.
   • The communications blackout lasted 48 hours.

   What to watch next

   • Confirmation of the cause of the October communications interruption
   • The spacecraft reaching the one light-day distance milestone in November
   Sources used for this update (15)

   1. en.wikipedia.org — Voyager 1 - Wikipedia
   2. Interesting Engineering — Farthest human-made object in space loses contact, goes nearly one light-day away from Earth
   3. NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) (.gov) — NASA’s Voyager 1 Conserves Power, Resolves Brief Communications Pause
   4. Hackaday — Voyager 1 Briefly Goes Silent, Scaring Everyone
   5. The Register — Voyager 1 gives controllers the silent treatment
   6. Mashable — NASA's Voyager 1 mysteriously lost touch with Earth
   7. NASA Science (.gov) — November’s Night Sky Notes: Light-Day Away
   8. LiveNOW from FOX — NASA's Voyager 1 to reach historic 16 billion-mile distance from Earth next month
   9. interestingengineering.com — Farthest human-made object in space loses contact from Earth
   10. www.hindustantimes.com — NASA's Voyager 1 set to script history: Farthest human-made ...
   11. article.wn.com — Farthest human-made object in space loses contact, goes ...
   12. www.wionews.com — Voyager 1 mysteriously loses contact with NASA. 24 hours ...
   confidence 90%