Since its departure from the earth in 1977, Voyager 1 has been traveling in space as the most remote artificial object. As it happened, its communication equipment went down in October 2024. Then Voyager 1 made a decision on its own to switch to the substitute device using a weak radio wave. After reporting the problem through this alternative method, the space probe waited until its counterpart on Earth recognized the signal it sent. Meanwhile, engineers on Earth, not knowing the trouble in the faraway universe, sent to Voyager 1 an instruction to use the heater. Since they received no reply, they gathered that something went wrong with its communication equipment. A few days later, they finally became aware of the failure as they received a weak radio signal the space probe emitted when it switched to the substitute device. In the end, Voyager 1 and the engineers were able to resume communications.

Voyager 1 is traveling in space 24.9 billion kilometers away from the earth. It takes 23 hours to receive a signal from it and 46 hours to establish a conversation between Earth and the spacecraft. Under such circumstances, it was almost miracle that the sub communication device managed to send barely audible voices to the engineers on Earth. Both Voyager 1 and the engineers might have heaved a sigh of relief as the former heard a voice from the earth in the dark and solitary universe and the latter confirmed their instruction successfully reached the space ship.

Voyager 1 left the earth, never to return. Every time I imagine a fragile link connecting humans on Earth and this artifact that has gone out of our sight, I can’t help getting emotional about relationships humans are trying to build with artificial objects.

Investigations are under way into the cause of the communication failure. In the meantime, Voyager 1 continues traveling in space while staying in touch with the earth.

Tadashi Inose
Context Design Dept.
Design Director