How does Voyager not run out of fuel?

Not only do their scientific instruments require energy, but the spacecraft need to keep themselves warm in the frigid environment of space. They rely on radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTG) for their energy. Each of the Voyager probes has three RTGs, and they use plutonium 238 for their fuel source.

How does Voyager 1 still have power?

(Voyager 1 is powered by a radioisotope thermoelectric generator, or RTG. RTGs convert to electricity the heat generated by the radioactive decay of plutonium-238.)

What happened to Voyager 1 and 2?

Voyager 2 also took pictures of Uranus and Neptune. Together, the Voyager missions discovered 22 moons. Since then, these spacecraft have continued to travel farther away from us. Voyager 1 and 2 are now so far away that they are in interstellar space —the region between the stars.

What kind of energy does Voyager 2 use?

The pair of spacecraft aren’t solar powered: that wouldn’t be possible so far from the Sun. They rely on radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTG) for their energy. Each of the Voyager probes has three RTGs, and they use plutonium 238 for their fuel source.

Why doesn’t Voyager 2 run out of fuel while Deep Space?

But out in deep space, there is no air resistance, no friction – and (at the distance of the two Voyager probes) very little gravity. Hence they keep on moving at the same speed pretty much forever without needing to use any fuel. That’s just as well because neither Voyager has had any fuel left for a cou…

What will happen to the voyagers after 2025?

The Voyagers have enough fuel and power to operate until 2025 and beyond. Sometime after this they will not be able to communicate with Earth anymore. Unless something stops them, they will continue to travel on and on, passing other stars after many thousands of years. Each Voyager spacecraft also carries a message.