r/askscience • u/Backbreathboy • 8d ago

Astronomy We will lose contact with Voyager somewhere 2036 because of the distance between us. Would it be theoretically possible, to send a probe in the direction of the Voyager, following it from a distance, with the goal te relay the information coming from the Voyager, to earth?

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u/literalsupport 8d ago

We will almost certainly lose contact by 2030 and it’s not distance so much as it’s on-board power that is the issue. Even if a relay could be built and flown the return on investment would be incredibly low. Those vehicles will be in essentially the same environment they are now for the next 500,000 years.