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Voyager 1 is powered by three plutonium-238 radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTGs), not solar panels. Heat from radioactive decay is converted directly into electricity. The generators lose roughly 4 watts of electrical output each year, so NASA has been shutting down heaters, equipment, and scientific instruments in a planned effort to keep the spacecraft operating.
NASA’s April 17, 2026 status table listed two Voyager 1 science instruments still operating: the magnetometer and the plasma wave subsystem. NASA estimates that at least one science instrument could continue into the 2030s, but that is an engineering projection, not a guaranteed shutdown date. Instrument operation, spacecraft control, and radio communication may all end at different times.
How Voyager 1 makes electricity
Voyager 1 carries three Multi-Hundred Watt radioisotope thermoelectric generators, or MHW-RTGs. They are mounted together on a boom and connected electrically in parallel. Each generator contains plutonium-238 oxide. As that isotope decays, it emits alpha particles and produces heat.
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The RTGs do not burn fuel and do not use a turbine. Thermoelectric converters exploit the temperature difference between the hot plutonium source and the colder side of the generator. That temperature gradient produces a direct electrical current through the thermoelectric material.
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This arrangement has no moving parts in the power-conversion stage and does not depend on sunlight. It is why Voyager 1 can operate far beyond the useful range of ordinary solar panels, where sunlight is extremely weak. The trade-off is that radioactive decay is irreversible: the available heat, and therefore the electrical output, declines slowly throughout the mission.
Launch output
NASA’s Radioisotope Power Systems Program gives an output of about 158 electrical watts per RTG at launch in 1977. With three generators, Voyager 1 initially had roughly 474 electrical watts available before spacecraft loads and distribution losses.
The same NASA material records the twin Voyagers’ RTG power as being in stable operation at 225 electrical watts in November 2023. That is a dated reference point, not a current 2026 measurement and not a promise of a fixed output for the rest of the mission.
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Why Voyager 1 keeps losing available power
NASA and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory report that each Voyager spacecraft loses about 4 electrical watts per year as its plutonium-238 supply decays. Four watts may sound small, but Voyager’s electrical margin is now narrow. A heater or instrument that was easy to support early in the mission can become unaffordable decades later.
The power problem is gradual rather than a single battery failure. Engineers must continually compare the power produced by the RTGs with the power needed for temperature control, computers, communications, attitude control, fault protection, and science instruments. When the margin becomes too small, they remove loads in an order intended to preserve the most valuable observations and the spacecraft’s ability to function.
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Heat is part of the power budget
The RTGs provide useful heat as well as electricity, but the spacecraft still needs electrical heaters in some locations. Turning off a heater saves electricity but can expose hardware to temperatures outside its intended operating range. NASA therefore has to balance two competing risks: spending power to keep hardware warm, or saving that power and accepting a greater chance of a temperature-related fault.
NASA’s later power-saving work has included turning off powered devices and substituting lower-power alternatives while keeping the spacecraft warm enough to operate. That is more complicated than simply disabling every nonessential circuit.
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Which Voyager 1 instruments are still operating?
NASA’s instrument-status table, updated April 17, 2026, lists two active science instruments on Voyager 1. The table also records the dates on which two other instruments were shut down to save power.
| Instrument or subsystem | Status on April 17, 2026 | Shutdown or operating detail |
|---|---|---|
| Magnetometer | On | Measures magnetic fields, including those encountered in the heliosphere and interstellar space. |
| Plasma wave subsystem | On | Listens for plasma-wave signals that help reveal the surrounding charged environment. |
| Cosmic ray subsystem | Off | Turned off to save power on February 25, 2025. |
| Low-energy Charged Particles experiment (LECP) | Off | Turned off to save power on April 17, 2026. |
These are instrument statuses, not a statement that every other spacecraft function has stopped. Voyager 1 still requires engineering systems for command processing, fault protection, thermal management, pointing, and communications as long as NASA continues operating it.
Why NASA shut down instruments in this order
Cosmic ray subsystem
The cosmic ray subsystem was switched off on February 25, 2025. Its loss reduced electrical demand and extended the margin available for the remaining mission. NASA has not described the shutdown as an indication that Voyager 1 suddenly failed; it was a deliberate load reduction in response to the long-term RTG decline.
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LECP
LECP measured low-energy charged particles, including ions, electrons, and cosmic rays. Its observations helped NASA characterize the interstellar medium, including pressure fronts and changes in particle density.
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1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsNASA shut down the LECP instrument on April 17, 2026 and said the decision should provide about a year of additional breathing room. “About a year” is an estimate of the expected power benefit, not a guaranteed operating deadline for Voyager 1.
One part of LECP was left running: its small scanning motor uses only 0.5 watts. The motor rotates the sensor so it can scan in different directions. Keeping it powered preserves a possible path to reactivate the instrument if the spacecraft later has enough electrical margin. Leaving the motor on therefore does not mean that LECP is currently collecting normal science data.
The two remaining instruments
The magnetometer and plasma wave subsystem were the two science instruments listed as on in NASA’s April 17, 2026 table. Their measurements complement each other: magnetic-field readings show how the field changes across the heliosphere and interstellar space, while plasma-wave observations provide information about the charged material around the spacecraft.
Voyager mission manager Kareem Badaruddin summarized the operational choice this way: “While shutting down a science instrument is not anybody’s preference, it is the best option available.” He also described the remaining payload as “one that listens to plasma waves and one that measures magnetic fields.”
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How long can Voyager 1 keep collecting science data?
The best current answer is conditional: NASA believes at least one science instrument could remain usable into the 2030s, but unexpected problems could shorten that period.
NASA and JPL reported in March 2025 that the Voyagers might have enough power to keep at least one science instrument operating into the 2030s. A NASA Heliophysics senior review described a possible extension through the mid-2030s using creative engineering. Those statements describe potential science operations, not a precise date when Voyager 1 will stop transmitting, stop responding to commands, or become completely silent.
Why there is no exact end date
The annual RTG decline can be estimated, but the spacecraft’s future also depends on events that cannot be scheduled decades in advance. A component may develop a fault, a heater may become necessary, a temperature may fall outside limits, or a power-saving change may work differently than expected. NASA can also choose to preserve a core engineering function rather than continue a particular science measurement.
For that reason, “Voyager 1 will work until 2035” would be too definite. A more accurate interpretation is that NASA’s models and operating experience make science in the 2030s plausible, while the actual end of an instrument’s useful operation remains uncertain.
What was the “Big Bang” power-saving change?
In an August 4, 2026 update, NASA and JPL reported that a coordinated power-saving change nicknamed “Big Bang” had been completed on Voyager 2. The work turned off some powered devices and substituted lower-power alternatives while maintaining temperatures required for spacecraft operation. NASA said the savings should preserve Voyager 2’s three science instruments for at least one additional year.
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The same update said the team planned to perform the change on Voyager 1 in the coming months. The latest authoritative information available for this article does not confirm that the Voyager 1 implementation had been completed by October 13, 2026. It should therefore be described as planned, not as a completed Voyager 1 procedure.
If NASA successfully applies the change to Voyager 1, it could improve the power margin and delay another shutdown. It would not replenish the plutonium or reverse the approximately 4-watt-per-year decline; it would simply reduce the spacecraft’s demand for electricity.
Science operation is not the same as “the spacecraft still works”
Voyager 1 has several different meanings of “working,” and they should not be treated as one deadline.
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- Spacecraft engineering: computers, fault protection, thermal control, pointing, and other systems can still execute commands and keep the vehicle stable.
- Communication: the spacecraft can still receive commands and return telemetry or science data through its radio link.
NASA’s published estimates cited here concern the possibility of keeping at least one science instrument operating into the 2030s. They do not establish a single end date for all engineering functions or communications. An instrument can be shut down while the spacecraft continues to send telemetry, and the spacecraft could eventually remain controllable for a period after its final science instrument is no longer useful.
What happens next as the power margin shrinks?
NASA’s likely decision process is a sequence of power and temperature trade-offs rather than one dramatic switch-off. Engineers can:
- disable heaters where temperatures permit;
- turn off nonessential powered devices;
- replace an operating mode with a lower-power alternative;
- shut down a science instrument while preserving a low-power component that might support future recovery;
- reassess which remaining instrument provides the greatest scientific value for the watts it consumes.
Each change must be checked against thermal limits, command reliability, fault protection, and the possibility that a device cannot be restarted once power is removed. The choice is therefore about preserving the mission’s most valuable capabilities, not simply keeping the largest number of instruments nominal.
Voyager 1 power and lifetime timeline
| Date | Event | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| 1977 | Launch; each of Voyager 1’s three RTGs produced about 158 electrical watts. | Establishes the original generator output. |
| November 2023 | NASA recorded the twin Voyagers’ RTG power at 225 electrical watts. | A dated reference point showing the long-term decline; it is not a 2026 measurement. |
| February 25, 2025 | Voyager 1 cosmic ray subsystem shut down. | Reduced electrical demand. |
| March 2025 | NASA/JPL said at least one science instrument might operate into the 2030s. | Provides a conditional outlook, not a guaranteed end date. |
| April 17, 2026 | LECP shut down; its 0.5-watt scanning motor remained on. | NASA expected about a year of additional power margin and retained a possible reactivation path. |
| August 4, 2026 | “Big Bang” reported complete on Voyager 2; Voyager 1 application planned. | Shows the type of power-saving engineering NASA is using, while Voyager 1’s completion remained unconfirmed in the latest located update. |
Bottom line for Voyager 1’s future
Voyager 1’s three plutonium-238 RTGs still provide electricity through heat from radioactive decay, but their output falls by about 4 watts each year. NASA is spending that shrinking budget selectively. As of April 17, 2026, the magnetometer and plasma wave subsystem were operating; the cosmic ray subsystem and LECP had been turned off to save power.
NASA’s outlook supports the possibility of at least one science instrument operating into the 2030s, potentially even the mid-2030s through further engineering. That estimate applies to science capability and can be shortened by faults or new power decisions. It should not be read as a promised date for the end of Voyager 1’s communications or every other spacecraft function.
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