NASA turns off plasma science instrument on Voyager 2 as power supplies decline

NASA has turned off the plasma science instrument on Voyager 2 due to dwindling power supplies. This leaves the spacecraft with four remaining instruments as it continues its interstellar mission, which began in 1977. The plasma science instrument measured charged particles from the solar wind but was rarely used since Voyager 2 entered interstellar space in 2018. The remaining instruments include detectors for cosmic rays and charged particles, a magnetometer, and a plasma wave subsystem. Voyager 2 and its twin, Voyager 1, still communicate with NASA despite decreasing power from their nuclear fuel. The agency expects at least one instrument to remain operational into the 2030s.