NASA detects a "heartbeat" signal on Voyager 2 after delivering a mistaken instruction.

Voyager 2 has stopped receiving commands or sending data back to Earth

After losing communication with its Voyager 2 spacecraft, which is located billions of kilometers from Earth, NASA has discovered a "heartbeat" signal from it.

After receiving the incorrect command last month, the spacecraft, which has been exploring the universe since 1977, angled its antenna to point two degrees away from Earth.

The probe then ceased responding to orders and stopped transmitting data.

However, NASA reported on Tuesday that a signal from Voyager 2 was detected during a routine sky sweep.

Where is Voyager 2 currently?

More than 12.3 billion miles (19.9 billion kilometers) from Earth, Voyager 2 is traveling at an estimated speed of 34,390 mph (55,346 km/h) across interstellar space, the region between the stars.

 

Since July 21, the probe has been unable to receive commands from ground controllers or transmit data to NASA's Deep Space Network, a system of enormous radio antennas spread over the world.

However, there is optimism for the probe now that contact has been restored, albeit in a limited way.

The time it took for that signal to travel from the spacecraft to Earth, which is about 20 billion kilometers (more than 12 billion miles) away, was probably around 18 hours.

Voyager 2 is still communicating and is in good condition, according to the latest information from NASA.

The space agency stated earlier on Monday that it was using a massive dish near Canberra, the capital of Australia, to search for any stray signals from Voyager 2.

The antenna has also been repeatedly sending the right order towards the vicinity of Voyager 2 to make contact with the probe, according to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which is in charge of the Voyager missions.

Voyager 2 is programmed to reset its orientation numerous times annually to keep its antenna aimed at Earth, even though fuller contact has not yet been established. The following reset, which is scheduled for October 15th, should permit communication to continue.

Nasa anticipates that the spacecraft will continue on its intended course through the cosmos while loaded with scientific instruments.

The probe has been in orbit since it was launched in 1977 to investigate the outer solar system.