Launched 49 years ago, the spacecraft keeps beaming data from interstellar space despite recent challenges like a 48-hour outage in mid-October, which its fault-protection system fixed on its own by switching thrusters.

Engineers' 'Big Bang' power-saving swap in September preserved its plutonium supply, delaying instrument shutdowns past 2027.

The feat highlights Voyager 1's endurance, with Voyager 2 eyeing the same mark in 2035, even as some note our radio signals reached that distance long ago.