Flying with Miami Seaplane aboard their incredibly luxurious Kodiak 100 was nothing short of an unforgettable experience. Our journey from Miami to Everglade City was a seamless blend of adventure, luxury, and discovery, offering breathtaking views and an intimate glimpse into the rich history of Florida.
From the moment we boarded, it was evident that this wasn’t just any flight—it was an experience designed to delight the senses. The Kodiak 100 was exceptionally spacious, offering a quiet and smooth ride that allowed for endless panoramic views of the magnificent Florida Everglades. The aircraft’s large windows framed a masterpiece of winding waterways, untouched marshlands, and the vibrant tapestry of nature that defines the Everglades.

Our chief pilot, Adriel, was the true architect of this incredible adventure. His kindness, professionalism, and deep knowledge of the region made the flight even more enriching. As we soared above the vast wetlands, he shared fascinating stories of Florida’s past—tales of early settlers, the indigenous tribes that once called these lands home, and the natural forces that shaped the Everglades into what they are today.
Before we knew it, we touched down in Everglade City, a small yet remarkable destination known for its world-class stone crab claws. Stepping off the plane felt like stepping into another world—far removed from the hustle and bustle of Miami, yet only a short flight away. The charm of Everglade City was palpable, with its quaint, small-town feel and its deep-rooted connection to Florida’s coastal heritage.

Miami Seaplane Charters offers more than just a ride; they offer a journey into the extraordinary. In addition to their daily trips to Everglade City, they provide charter services to other breathtaking destinations such as the Bahamas and the Florida Keys. Each flight is customized to the passenger’s request, ensuring a truly personalized and memorable experience.
With world-class pilots, top-of-the-line aircraft, and an unwavering commitment to excellence, Miami Seaplane Charters has set the bar for luxury air travel. After this remarkable experience, I look forward to flying with them again in the future, eager for my next airborne adventure.

miamiseaplane.com/

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​There are few flying experiences as unique and unforgettable as stepping aboard a Douglas DC-3, especially one still working hard in modern aviation. Florida Air Cargo is one of the last remaining operators flying these historic aircraft in oceanic cargo deliveries, and I had the incredible opportunity to join them on a trip to the Bahamas.
The Legacy of Florida Air CargoFlorida Air Cargo has built a reputation as one of the top air freight companies in Florida, and much of its success can be attributed to its exceptional leadership. At the helm is Sergio R. Alen, a man whose life has been deeply rooted in aviation. Sergio began his professional aviation career in 1978 as a certified Airframe and Powerplant mechanic at Miami Aviation Corporation. Over the years, he has done it all—from annual inspections and aircraft modifications to quality control and progressive inspection programs. With more than 30 years of experience, Sergio has shaped Florida Air Cargo into a company that blends history, passion, and operational excellence.
What makes these flights even more special is the history behind the aircraft themselves. Some of the DC-3s in Florida Air Cargo’s fleet have direct ties to World War II, including D-Day operations. They carry the scars of their past, and yet they continue to serve a vital role today, proving the resilience of their design and the dedication of the people who keep them flying.

​Flying with Legends: My adventure with Florida Air Cargo took me across the ocean to the Bahamas alongside veteran chief pilot Keith Kearns and first officer Carlos Azcuy. Keith alone has over 5,000 hours in the DC-3, making him one of the most experienced pilots flying these aircraft today. From the moment I met them, it was clear that I was in the presence of true professionals who were eager to share their knowledge.
Keith took me under his wing, guiding me through every step of the process—pre-flighting the aircraft, understanding its operations, and experiencing its unique flight characteristics. The enthusiasm and camaraderie of the crew made the experience even more meaningful. There was a shared sense of purpose: this was more than just another flight; it was a continuation of a legacy.

The Flight: A Symphony of Radials and a View of Paradise Flying the DC-3 across the ocean was an experience I’ll never forget. As we climbed through the clouds, the deep, rhythmic roar of the Pratt & Whitney R-1830 Twin Wasp radials filled the cockpit—a sound that has carried pilots through the skies for over eight decades. The aircraft has a soul of its own, and flying it through adverse weather conditions only deepened my appreciation for its rugged reliability.
The cargo we were hauling was vital to the people of the Bahamas, adding another layer of meaning to the journey. As we descended, the ocean transformed into a breathtaking palette of vibrant blues, signaling our approach to Nassau. The final moments of the flight were mesmerizing, watching the crew expertly work the controls, bringing the aircraft in for a smooth landing on the island’s runway.

More Than Just a Flight: Spending the day with the Florida Air Cargo crew was special in ways that go beyond just flying. They welcomed me as one of their own, sharing their stories, their passion for aviation, and their deep respect for the DC-3. It was an immersive experience, giving me insight into the teamwork and dedication required to keep these legendary aircraft in the air.
Flying with Florida Air Cargo wasn’t just about the journey—it was about preserving a piece of aviation history. The DC-3 is more than an aircraft; it’s a symbol of resilience, adventure, and timeless craftsmanship. To have had the chance to be part of that, even for just one flight, is a memory that will stay with me forever.

The countdown has begun for the XB-1’s “historic” first supersonic test flight that should break the sound barrier, according to Boom Supersonic.
The test flight for the Boom Supersonic XB-1, a prototype aircraft that many tout as the Concorde’s successor, will be livestreamed at 6:45 a.m. PST on Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2025, from Mojave north of Lancaster.
Boom officials explained that the “world’s first independently developed supersonic jet” will break the sound barrier in the Bell X-1 Supersonic Corridor and the Black Mountain Supersonic Corridor over the Mojave Desert.
Flight experts say in ideal conditions, a sonic boom can be heard up to 30 miles away from the source. It’s not clear where the sonic boom created by the X-1 will be heard, but the test flight will be just west of Barstow.

Flight date and time is subject to change due to weather or safety considerations. The National Weather Service reports partially cloudy skies and no rain at launch time. 
The livestream will be hosted by former Chief Concorde Pilot for British Airways Mike Bannister, XB-1 Chief Flight Test Engineer Nick Sheryka, and Boom adviser/former Chief Engineer Greg Krauland. 

The XB-1 team mounted a $500 Starlink Mini Antenna on a Northrop T-38 chase aircraft that will allow everyone to see the flight in real-time.
“We worked with SpaceX to pair the Mini Antenna with an aviation data plan, presumably removing software speed caps,” Boom officials stated. “However, Boom officials stilled questioned if the "modest antenna" would work at high speeds and changing (altitudes)."


Boom explained that the Starlink Mini was the only antenna that could fit into the T-38’s rear cockpit, allowing for an occupant of that seat, while not impeding the safe operation of the aircraft or the ejection seat.

In order to make sure the Starlink Mini Antenna had no glitches, the Boom team used Sheryka’s 1995 Mazda Miata capable of greater than 100 mph. 

The ground test was performed at the Mojave Air and Space Port’s 2-mile-long runway in Mojave.
The Starlink Mini system worked at over 100 mph, with the next successful test into the T-38 aircraft that flew up to Mach 0.9+, or near the speed of sound, while maneuvering. 

In 2024, XB-1 completed 10 test flights at the Mojave Air and Space Port in Mojave.
XB-1 kicked off the new year with a successful Flight 11 on Jan. 10, 2025, the company stated.
During the 44-minute Flight 11, Boom Chief Test Pilot Tristan “Geppetto” Brandenburg soared the XB-1 to an altitude of 29,481 feet.  

Once again, Flight 11 reached a transonic top speed of Mach 0.95, faster than the flight speed of today’s airliners. 
An aircraft flies transonic when it reaches the range of speeds just below supersonic, which is Mach 1. 
Flight 11’s primary objective was to expand dynamic pressure to 383 KEAS (knots equivalent airspeed) — a higher number than will be experienced during XB-1’s first supersonic flight. 
Flight 11’s journey was the highest dynamic pressure the aircraft ever experienced — pushing beyond the anticipated pressure the aircraft would experience at Mach 1.1. 
As an aircraft approaches supersonic speeds, dynamic pressure becomes a key factor — it’s essentially how hard the plane is pushing through the air, Boom explained.
"Dynamic pressure and Mach number work together to shape the aircraft’s performance. During flight testing, we carefully expand one parameter at a time — either Mach number or dynamic pressure — in order to ensure safe and precise performance. The relationship between these two numbers changes with altitude — the faster and lower you are, the higher the dynamic pressure, and vice versa," according to Boom Supersonic.

Until then, Croatian airspace will be temporarily guarded by the Italian Air Force and the Hungarian Air Force, flying Eurofighter Typhoons and Saab Gripens, respectively, from air bases in their own countries.
Ironically, both the Typhoon and Gripen had been offered to Croatia to replace its MiG-21s, together with F-16 Block 70/72s and second-hand F-16s, before the Rafale was chosen in May 2021.
The final selection of the Rafale was also protracted, only happening after an earlier deal for 12 second-hand Israeli F-16C/Ds had collapsed in 2019 when the U.S. Congress refused to approve the transfer of the fighters. 

The Croatian government is not paying for the stopgap QRA coverage, with the air defense fighters being provided under a NATO arrangement broadly similar to the alliance’s Baltic Air Policing mission, which protects the Baltic states.
Currently, the Croatian Air Force has received seven Rafales (five single-seaters and a pair of two-seaters), with the remaining five single-seaters due to arrive by the end of April 2025, at the rate of one aircraft per month. Like the MiG-21s, the Rafales fly from Pleso Air Base, also known as the 91st Air Base, co-located with the international airport in the country’s capital, Zagreb.  As we reported before, the 12 Rafales will provide a huge leap in capabilities for the Croatian Air Force, which will advance from a second-generation fighter armed with short-range air-to-air missiles to an advanced fourth-generation jet offering active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, beyond-visual-range air-to-air missiles, precision attack, and many other potential new capabilities.  
The only air defense armament available to the MiG-21s was the infrared-guided R-60MK (AA-8 Aphid) air-to-air missile, as well as the internal 23mm twin-barrel cannon. The Fishbed had a particularly important air defense role, considering that Croatia for many years otherwise only operated anti-aircraft guns, man-portable air defense systems (MANPADS), and vehicle-mounted Strela-type short-range surface-to-air missiles.
It’s unclear when the MiG-21s will cease flying altogether, with the potential that some training activities or familiarization flights will still take place. However, as of now, the Fishbed has ended its operational service in Europe. The last previous operator on the continent, Romania, retired its upgraded MiG-21 LanceR fleet in May 2023.
In recent years, only a handful of Croatian MiG-21s were still active, hampered by dwindling supplies of spares.

Emerging from the violent breakup of Yugoslavia, Croatia received its first MiG-21 when a Yugoslav Air Force pilot defected to the country in one of the jets in February 1992. The windfall fighter was then put into Croatian service but was shot down over Bosnia and Herzegovina in June of the same year.
Another pair of MiG-21s arrived in Croatia via defections in May 1992, one of these also being lost in combat.
As recently independent Croatia built up its air force, it acquired 40 MiG-21s from Ukraine between 1993 and 1994, these aircraft having been originally used by another ex-Soviet state, Kyrgyzstan. These were provided to Croatia despite an arms embargo. Of these fighters, 26 were put into Croatian service, while the other 14 were used for spare parts.
As well as another wartime shoot-down, in May 1995, the Croatian Fishbed fleet suffered six attrition losses after hostilities had come to an end in September 1995. 
With no replacement in sight, in 2003, Croatia decided to provide eight of its single-seat MiG-21s with a modest upgrade, undertaken in Romania, which were intended to allow them to serve until 2024. However, this was primarily an overhaul and is in no way comparable to the extensive modernizations undertaken on Indian or Romanian MiG-21s, for example. At the same time, another four two-seat MiG-21s were acquired, either from Poland or Romania.
With NATO membership on the horizon, the upgrade did add Western communication, identification, and navigation systems and the aircraft emerged from the work with new designations: MiG-21bisD for the single-seaters and MiG-21UMD for the two-seaters.


A further overhaul and refurbishment for seven Croatian MiG-21s took place in Ukraine, between 2013 and 2015, and Zagreb also bought another five Fishbeds at the same time, although these turned out to be problematic, and all of them spent a period grounded. Meanwhile, the Croatian government investigated their provenance, amid reports that four of them had fuselages taken from second-hand Bulgarian MiG-21s, which would have breached the terms of the contract.
With the MiG-21’s retirement looming, Croatia held a public farewell for its MiGs at Pleso in May of this year, which also included participation from the Rafale.


The MiG-21 will be remembered in Croatia as the backbone of its fighter arm throughout its highly turbulent formative years and eventually for more than three decades.
At the same time, Croatia will go down in history as the final operator of the MiG-21 in Europe. The Fishbed still serves elsewhere in the world, however, notably in India and North Korea, while smaller numbers of the iconic fighters are still operating in a handful of other countries.

​Nestled in the heart of sunny South Florida, Miami Seaplanes offers an experience like no other, combining the thrill of flight with the unparalleled beauty of Florida’s landscapes and the turquoise waters of the Bahamas. At the helm of this incredible operation is Tony, the Owner and Chief Pilot, whose love for seaplanes and passion for sharing the skies have made Miami Seaplanes a cherished treasure for adventure seekers and romantics alike.

With over 30 years of seaplane flying experience, Tony is a master of his craft. His dedication to aviation is contagious, as he effortlessly combines technical expertise with a warm and inviting demeanor. Whether you’re a seasoned flyer or stepping onto a seaplane for the very first time, Tony has a way of making every journey feel magical.

The crown jewel of Miami Seaplanes’ fleet is a meticulously restored 1952 De Havilland Beaver. This iconic aircraft boasts a rich history, and every rivet and seam tells a story of adventure and exploration. Its classic design and dependable performance make it a favorite among aviation enthusiasts and travelers alike. Flying aboard the Beaver is like stepping back in time, where every moment is filled with nostalgia and awe.

​Miami Seaplanes also offers flights aboard other exceptional aircraft, including a versatile Cessna 172 and their newest addition, the Daher Kodiak. Each aircraft in the fleet is chosen for its reliability, comfort, and ability to showcase the stunning destinations Miami Seaplanes is known for. From the Everglades to Key West, and even the pristine shores of the Bahamas, the possibilities are endless.

I had the privilege of flying with Tony aboard the De Havilland Beaver, and it was nothing short of extraordinary. As the plane gracefully lifted off the water, I couldn’t help but feel a rush of exhilaration. The panoramic views of Miami’s coastline, the endless expanse of turquoise ocean, and the serene beauty of our destination created an experience that words can hardly capture. Tony’s knowledge and storytelling added layers of depth to the journey, turning a simple flight into an unforgettable adventure.

But the highlight of my flight wasn’t just the breathtaking views or the smooth ride. Tony worked with me secretly to plan a surprise proposal to my girlfriend, Stevie, on the floats of the De Havilland Beaver. As the sun dipped below the horizon, casting golden hues across the water, I got down on one knee and asked her to marry me. The joy, the setting, and the moment were perfect beyond imagination. It was a memory we will cherish forever.

If you’re looking for a truly unique experience, Miami Seaplanes is the place to go. Whether you’re planning a romantic getaway, a group adventure, or simply want to explore Florida and the Bahamas in style, Tony and his team deliver an experience that’s second to none. Visit www.miamiseaplane.com to learn more and book your flight. I can’t recommend it enough — Miami Seaplanes doesn’t just take you places; they create memories that last a lifetime.

he new space race has attracted multiple private ventures. From cargo delivery to facility construction in orbit and on the Moon, the burgeoning space economy has everyone racing to get in on the ground floor. If successful, an upcoming mission will establish the first lunar data center.
Florida-based startup Lonestar Data Holdings plans to launch the first Moon-based data center dubbed the "Freedom Data Center." The compact but fully operational information hub will piggyback on an upcoming lunar lander mission by Intuitive Machines aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in February. Lonestar says storing data on the Moon offers unique benefits.
First, it provides unmatched physical security and protection from natural disasters, cyber threats, and geopolitical conflicts that could put Earth-based data at risk. The solar-powered mini-facility is also much more environmentally friendly than energy-hungry data centers on our home planet, utilizing naturally cooled solid-state drives.
The company has already lined up some high-profile early customers for their lunar platform, including the state of Florida, the Isle of Man government, AI firm Valkyrie, and the pop rock band Imagine Dragons.

The company has been working towards this milestone for years, successfully testing data storage on the Moon in February last year and aboard the International Space Station in 2021. However, putting something as complex as a data center on the lunar surface is still an enormous technical challenge.
The harsh environment, maintenance difficulties, and astronomical costs could create some problematic issues. There are also inherent risks associated with space launch. There is no option for equipment recovery if something goes wrong. Thankfully, the data center will have a ground-based backup at a Flexential facility in Tampa. Lonestar has yet to release specific operational details or hardware specs. It will be interesting to see the company's plans for communication between lunar and ground-based facilities.
Lonestar isn't the only venture planning to establish a lunar data center. Reuters reports that several other companies are eyeing similar space-based facilities, including Lumen Orbit, which recently raised $11 million at a $40 million valuation.

​A former US Marine accused of training Chinese military pilots will be extradited to face charges in the United States, Australia’s Attorney General confirmed Monday, dealing a blow to supporters who have mounted a public campaign for his freedom.
Daniel Duggan, a naturalized Australian, was arrested in the state of New South Wales in 2022 based on a 2017 US grand jury indictment that accuses him of training Chinese military pilots in violation of a US arms embargo.
Duggan denies the charges, claiming that US officials knew about his activities and that he was only training civilian pilots as China’s aviation sector boomed.


Attorney General Mark Dreyfus confirmed that Duggan “should be extradited to face prosecution for the offences of which he is accused.”

“Mr Duggan was given the opportunity to provide representations as to why he should not be surrendered to the United States. In arriving at my decision, I took into consideration all material in front of me,” Dreyfus said in a statement Monday.
His decision follows court approval for Duggan’s extradition by a magistrate in May.
In a statement, the pilot’s wife, Saffrine Duggan, said she and their six children were “shocked and absolutely heartbroken by this callous and inhumane decision which has been delivered just before Christmas with no explanation or justification from the Government.”

“We feel abandoned by the Australian Government and deeply disappointed that they have completely failed in their duty to protect an Australian family. We are now considering our options,” she said.
If convicted, Duggan faces a prison sentence of up to 65 years.

Duggan has been in custody since his arrest in October 2022, just weeks after returning to his family in Australia from six years working in China. He was detained by Australian police acting on the request of US authorities.
The 2017 indictment filed in the District of Columbia says that “as early as 2008,” Duggan received an email from the US State Department telling him he was required to register with the Directorate of Defense Trade Controls and apply for permission to train a foreign air force.
Instead, it claims he conspired with others – including the Test Flying Academy of South Africa (TFASA) – to export defense services in violation of an arms embargo on China.
In a statement to CNN in 2023, TFASA said it complies with the laws of every jurisdiction in which it operates.
The statement said Duggan undertook one test-pilot contract for the company in South Africa between November and December 2012, and “never worked for TFASA on any of its training mandates in China.”
Duggan moved to China in 2013 and renounced his US citizenship at the US embassy in Beijing in 2016, though it was backdated on a certificate to 2012 to reflect when he became an Australian citizen, according to his lawyers.
In an 89-page submission filed to Dreyfus’ office in August, Duggan’s lawyers alleged the former US serviceman had become a political pawn during a time of heightened US-China tensions.
It said that his case had been used to send a message to Western pilots that any dealings with China will not be tolerated by the US, or its allies.
“The extradition request is a brutal response to US Sinophobia,” his lawyer Bernard Collaery wrote in a cover letter attached to the submission.
“While scapegoating Daniel Duggan may please some, his extradition into a baying political environment and semi-lawless prison system may also constitute a profound moral and foreign policy failure by Australia,” he wrote.
Duggan’s arrest two years ago came as the US, the United Kingdom and Australia formed a stronger security bond under AUKUS, a deal they signed in 2021 to join forces in the Pacific to counter an increasingly assertive China.
Since then, the UK and Australia have tightened their laws surrounding former military personnel and their post-service activities.

The 2024 compromise defense bill won’t let the Air Force retire its T-1A Jayhawk trainers until the service’s new pilot training system is up and running and the Secretary of the Air Force certifies that retiring the jet won’t slow the pace of producing new pilots. The bill also might allow the Air Force to accept some T-7A advanced trainers built before a contract for them is actually in place.
The 2024 National Defense Authorization Bill prohibits Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall from retiring any of the service’s aging T-1A Jayhawks until he certifies the “full, fleet-wide implementation” of the new Undergraduate Pilot Training curriculum, previously called UPT 2.5. Kendall also has to send Congress a written assessment of how the UPT curriculum will affect the completion rates of new pilot trainees, and whether the retirements affect the speed at which they complete their training.

The Air Force had asked to retire 52 T-1As in the fiscal 2024 defense budget request. The jets have been used since the 1990s to train pilots on the tanker/transport track, but under the new UPT curriculum, the live-fly T-1 curriculum would be phased out in favor of all-simulator training.
The service has said that the new UPT scheme will be more individualized and allow pilots to progress more at their own pace, thus reducing the number of washouts and working to erase the Air Force’s chronic pilot shortage, which has wavered between 1,500 and 2,000 pilots for a decade.
Even before the 2024 defense bill got to Congress, some Republican members were lobbying the service to upgrade and retain the jets, which are at or beyond their planned service lives. In a February letter from some members of the Mississippi delegation—Sens. Roger Wicker and Cindy Hyde-Smith, as well as Reps. Michael Guest and Trent Kelly—the lawmakers voiced concern that if there’s a delay with shifting to high-fidelity simulation at the necessary scale, “the Air Force will lose any ability to effectively train pilots” in an aircraft comparable to what they’ll fly after graduation.
Given “recent media reports of further delays in the T-7A program, the T-1A may be the best defense against unforeseen shortfalls that may adversely affect the pilot training pipeline,” the Mississippi lawmakers wrote.
Columbus Air Force Base in Mississippi is one of the Air Force’s UPT bases. The Jayhawk is also flown at Laughlin and Randolph Air Force Bases in Texas; Vance Air Force Base in Oklahoma and at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Fla., where the Air Force jointly conducts some of its weapon system officer and navigator training with the Navy. 

The Air Force has said it wants to use the money that would be spent on extending the T-1’s service life and operating it to advance to the simulation format, which will also allow the service to rely more on contract instructors rather than uniformed pilots, thus saving more rated slots for the operational force.
The Air Force was not immediately able to say when it expects the new UPT syllabus to be fully implemented.
Congressional concern with the speed of pilot training was also reflected in NDAA language regarding the T-7. In anticipation of a low-rate initial production contract that was initially expected this month, Boeing has conducted some construction work on aircraft beyond the five that will be used for flight test, on the grounds that the T-7 test aircraft were built on the same tooling that will be used for production, and the team is already in place to start ramping up production. That work wasn’t supervised by the Defense Contract Management Agency, however, and, technically, specifications for the objective aircraft have yet to be spelled out in a contract.  
Delays in testing and in resolving a number of issues discovered in testing thus far has blocked the Air Force from issuing contracts for production aircraft, leaving in question what will happen to the materials produced before the contract is actually awarded.
Lawmakers now want from Kendall a “schedule risk assessment” of the T-7A, “at the 80 percent confidence level, that includes risks associated with the overlap of the development, testing, and production phases of the program and risks related to contractor management.”

The compromise language directs the Air Force to present a “plan for determining the conditions under which the Secretary of the Air Force may accept production work” on the T-7A “that was completed by the contractor for the program in anticipation of the Air Force ordering additional systems, but which was not subject to typical production oversight because there was no contract for the procurement of such additional systems in effect when such work was performed.’’
The $9 billion T-7A contract was awarded in 2018. The first production aircraft were to have been delivered in early 2023, but delays having to do with ejection seat issues, flight controls and other problems, as well as pandemic-related labor and supply issues, have delayed the program. Boeing has absorbed more than $1 billion in losses on the fixed-price program, due to the above issues and inflation.
The first T-7A flight with an Air Force test pilot at the controls took place in June. The Air Force accepted the first of the five test aircraft in mid-September, but Boeing, along with its partner Saab of Sweden, has done work on two more aircraft.
The Air Force plans to buy 351 T-7As to replace its T-38 Talons, now serving more than 60 years. The Government Accountability Office pegs the T-7A program at more than two years behind schedule and anticipates more delays to come. Air Force acquisition executive Andrew Hunter told Congress in April that the target of 2024 for initial operational capability of the T-7A will slip to 2027 at the earliest, after reporting just a few months earlier that IOC would come in 2026.
The Air Force didn’t include production money in its FY’24 budget request for the T-7A, assuming it wouldn’t be able to start production due to the ejection seat problem. However, it forecast that 94 of the trainers will be built through the end of its five-year plan at a cost of $2.205 billion.

Voyager 1 remains humanity’s furthest outpost, hurtling across interstellar space at 38,210 miles per hour. However, NASA lost communication with the beloved space probe on October 19. The space agency reconnected with Voyager 1 five days later using a radio transmitter that the probe hadn’t used
since 1981. The issue emerged when the Voyager 1 flight team at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory sent a command to the probe to turn on one of its heaters. The probe had enough power for the heater, but the command activated Voyager’s fault protection system. The failsafe system also impacted the probe’s X-band radio transmitter, which is why engineers hypothesized that Voyager was experiencing a problem. NASA explained:
The flight team suspected that Voyager 1’s fault protection system was triggered twice more and that it turned off the X-band transmitter and switched to a second radio transmitter called the S-band. While the S-band uses less power, Voyager 1 had not used it to communicate with Earth since 1981. It uses a different frequency than the X-band transmitters signal is significantly fainter. The flight team was not certain the S-band could be detected at Earth due to the spacecraft’s distance, but engineers with the Deep Space Network were able to find it.