A New Signal Arrived from the Voyager Spacecraft

The Voyager 1 and 2 spacecraft had embarked on a journey of no return on humanity’s journey to explore space. On its journey that began in 1977, Voyager continues to send signals to our planet. These signals have now been discovered by a radio telescope.

Since 2007, the Allen Telescope Array (ATA) has been collecting astronomical data and searching for signs to find traces of extraterrestrial life in space. Earlier this year, ATA detected a 15-minute data stream from the Voyager I vehicle.

Message from 23 billion kilometers away

There is no explanation about the data contained in the signal. Using NASA’s Deep Space Network (DSN) system, the vehicle sends data at 160 bits per second. Located at a distance of 23.3 billion kilometers from Earth, the instrument is currently measuring outside the heliosphere (the sphere made up of particles emitted by the Sun and reaching Pluto).

The radio telescope, which succeeded in capturing the data, is formed by the array of satellite antennas with a radius of 6 meters. Founded with the support of Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen and Qualcomm co-founder Franklin Antonio, ATA was developed in partnership with the SETI Institute and UC Berkeley Radio Astronomy Laboratory (RAL).

Although this structure, which has 42 antennas in its antenna array, has less sensitivity than one-piece large antennas, it is much more affordable in terms of cost. The lack of sensitivity is eliminated by using antennas in combination. 20 antennas worked together to capture the signal from Voyager I.

Voyager, which started its journey in 1977, now has to use its power very sparingly, and scientists say that the satellite will complete its life in 2025. The vehicle, which has passed around Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and many moons until now, also carries information about the world on it.