The Voyager 1 spacecraft, launched in 1977, relies on Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generators (RTGs) as its primary power source. RTGs are compact, reliable, and designed to provide long-term electricity in environments where solar power is impractical, such as the outer reaches. . The Voyager program was setup initially to study several of the outer planets by taking advantage of an alignment between Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. However, the two probes are still functioning and sending back valuable scientific data more than 40 years after their launch. In this. . Voyager 1 and Voyager 2, the twin spacecraft, have provided invaluable insights into planetary atmospheres, magnetic fields, and the boundary of the solar system, significantly contributing to our knowledge of space. It was launched 16 days after its twin, Voyager 2. Credit: NASA Powering spacecraft with solar energy may not seem like a challenge, given how intense the Sun's light can feel on Earth. The probe is now in interstellar space, the region outside the heliopause, or the. . These RTGs lose about 4 watts per year, and their total electrical power is gradually diminishing. To conserve power, NASA has turned off non-essential instruments. Voyager 1 embarked on its journey from Earth on 5 September 1977.
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