The "Big Bang" power manoeuvre on Voyager 2

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A single, unrepeatable command sequence executed on 9 July 2026 that simultaneously switched off two heaters and a long-obsolete digital tape recorder — kept running solely for the waste heat it gave off — while switching on two different heaters and another device that supplies residual heat, all drawing less power than what was turned off. The net saving is reported as close to ten watts a year, achieved without letting any critical component fall below its survival temperature. Without it, another Voyager 2 instrument would have had to be shut down before the end of 2026; instead all three kept running, and engineers have suggested the technique could be worth roughly two additional years on each spacecraft.

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