Voyager's power-saving decisions over time
The radioisotope generators provide less electrical power each year, so the team repeatedly decides which systems to operate. This timeline records dated decisions; the current instrument status remains on the instrument page.
26 September 2024 — Voyager 2 plasma instrument off
NASA commanded Voyager 2's Plasma Science (PLS) instrument off to conserve power. It had measured solar-wind flow and helped establish the 2018 heliopause crossing, but its orientation limited recent interstellar measurements.
February and March 2025 — two more experiments retired
The Cosmic Ray Subsystem on Voyager 1 was turned off on 25 February. NASA also scheduled Voyager 2's Low-Energy Charged Particles experiment for shutdown on 24 March. These decisions preserved electrical margin for the remaining science and essential systems.
17 April 2026 — Voyager 1 LECP off
After an unexpected power drop during a planned maneuver, NASA shut down Voyager 1's low-energy charged-particle experiment. Its magnetometer and plasma-wave instrument remained active. The move reduced the chance that undervoltage protection would interrupt operations.
4 August 2026 — Voyager 2 saves power differently
NASA reported that a coordinated swap of powered devices for lower-power alternatives had freed energy on Voyager 2 while keeping it warm enough to operate. The team expected this to extend the operation of its three science instruments by at least another year. This is a dated engineering expectation, not a guaranteed end date.