NASA experiencing communications issues with Voyager 1

The probe is 15 billion miles away from Earth
It's experiencing a glitch where it's sending a repeating loop of information
NASA engineers are hard at work trying to figure out the problem

Updated: Dec 14, 2023 / 04:41 PM CST

American space probe Voyager I passes the rings of Saturn on its journey to the outer reaches of the Solar System, November 1980. An artist’s impression. (Photo by Keystone/Getty Images)

(NewsNation) — The 46-year-old Voyager 1 probe has experienced a glitch disrupting communication with NASA.

The spacecraft is estimated to be 15 billion miles from Earth and is considered one of the man-made objects that have made it the furthest away from our planet.

But around November 14, the spacecraft’s flight data system began sending a repeating loop of information. That means crucial engineering or science data is no longer being sent to Earth even though NASA can still send it commands.

The space agency’s engineers are currently probing the cause of the problem, looking for a potential solution.

“Finding solutions to challenges the probes encounter often entails consulting original, decades-old documents written by engineers who didn’t anticipate the issues that are arising today,” NASA said in a statement. “As a result, it takes time for the team to understand how a new command will affect the spacecraft’s operations in order to avoid unintended consequences.”