Voyager 1, the most distant human-made object now in interstellar space, recently used a clever thruster technique to maintain communication with Earth.

Facing issues with its thrusters and limited power, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) engineers managed to switch to a backup thruster system.

Despite the spacecraft’s advanced age and declining power, the team successfully reoriented Voyager 1 towards Earth by warming a dormant thruster for an hour.

Launched in 1977, Voyager 1 and its twin Voyager 2 have been sending valuable data from the far reaches of the solar system and beyond, Space.com has reported.

Engineers plan to keep both spacecraft operational until at least their 50th anniversary in 2027.

Written by B.C. Begley