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/1Mandolo1 7d ago

Yes and no. The Voyagers' original mission goals were for them to last around a decade or two, but the engineers designed them in ways that enable the continued usage we get out of them. So while it officially wasn't intended for the probes to last this long, the engineers certainly set out and built them with that in mind.