The power output of the RTGs declines over time due to the 87.7-year half-life of the fuel and degradation of the thermocouples, but they will continue to support some of its operations until …

Mar 5, 2025 · The RTG arrays offered Voyager 1 and 2 about 470 watts at 30 volts when they first launched. Given the plutonium’s 87.74-year half-life, they now operate on about two-thirds their...

5 days ago · Each Voyager spacecraft carries approximately 24 pounds (11 kilograms) of plutonium-238 dioxide, initially producing about 470 watts of thermal power. Over 40 years, …

Jul 11, 2019 · Each of the Voyager probes has three RTGs, and they use plutonium 238 for their fuel source. As that isotope decays, it produces heat which is converted to electrical energy. …

The RTGs generated about 470 W of electric power at the time of launch, with the remainder being dissipated as waste heat. The power output of the RTGs declines over time, but the …

Nov 26, 2025 · When launched, they generated roughly 470 watts-about what four or five household light bulbs are said to use. After decades of decay, the output has fallen to about …

Nov 1, 2018 · Although energy output has fallen over time, the RTG has worked continuously since the mission began on Aug. 20, 1977, and it is expected to continue until at least 2020.

The power output at the time of launch was 470 watts, however the half-life of plutonium (87.7 years) means that the energy output will decrease over time.

In 1977, two spacecraft, Voyager 1 and Voyager 2, launched toward the unknown. Nearly fifty...

Each RTG has a total weight of 37.7 kg, including about 4.5 kg of Pu-238 [3] and uses 24 pressed plutonium-238 oxide spheres to provide enough heat to generate approximately 157 watts of …