Voyager 1 ‘phones home’ after 43 years using 1981 tech across 15 billion miles

NASA's Voyager 1 spacecraft reestablished communication with Earth on October 24 after a brief shutdown due to high power usage. The spacecraft switched to its seldom-used S-band transmitter, last activated in 1981. NASA engineers are investigating the cause of the fault protection system activation before reverting to the primary X-band transmitter. Voyager 1 continues to be a crucial asset in interstellar exploration since its launch in 1977.