NASA patches Voyager 2 from 13 billion miles away to extend interstellar science mission

NASA transmitted a software update across roughly 13 billion miles to Voyager 2, executing operation "Big Bang" — simultaneously powering down devices and substituting lower-power alternatives to rebalance the probe's thermal and electrical config. The patch keeps all three remaining science instruments running through 2026. Without it, one instrument would have been shut down later in 2026. Voyager 2's plutonium RTG loses about 4 watts yearly.