Probing on the outer bound of the solar system for 45 years, NASA’s Voyager 2 spacecraft is starting to run out of power. But a new plan aims to keep its mission going for three more years. 

The first launch of the Voyager 2 happened in 1997, to help scientists investigate faraway planets and understand how the heliosphere works, the sun’s outermost atmosphere bubble that is like a layer that traps particles and magnetic fields. With the Voyager’s supplies decreasing, NASA was about to shut down one of its five science instruments onboard. In order to keep it going, engineers have had to sacrifice heaters and nonessential parts that drained the power. Although engineers have found a way to tap to preserve power from safety mechanisms.

Voyager 2 and its twin, Voyager 1 are the only spacecraft that have been able to reach the heliosphere. Voyager 2 is 12.3 billion miles from the Earth. Along with Voyager also coming to its expiration date is 14.7 million miles away. 

Ed Stone spent more than half of his life dedicated to the Voyager Program. He was present whenever the space crafts would come out with one discovery after another.