NASA engineers have shut down the Low-energy Charged Particles experiment aboard Voyager 1 to conserve its limited power supply.

The spacecraft, launched in 1977, is now more than 15 billion miles from Earth and is the most distant human-made object in space.

Voyager 1 entered interstellar space in 2012 and continues to send back unique data about conditions beyond the solar system.

The instrument shutdown is part of a planned sequence designed to extend the mission by prioritizing essential systems, Space.com has reported.

Only three of the original ten instruments on Voyager 1 and its twin Voyager 2 are still operating.