The Voyager 2 space probe is the farthest human-made object that has traveled in space. Since its launch in 1977, it has now passed through deep space and is estimated to be 20 billion km from Earth. Last year NASA said Voyager 1 and Voyager 2's software had been changed to shut down some science instruments to extend operational life until 2024.
But NASA now says Voyager 2's software has been updated and it is now predicted to operate until 2026. Backup power on the probe used to prevent power surges is fed to the science instruments in use. This allows proba to continue collecting scientific data for a longer period.
But NASA says that their actions pose a risk of electrical surges. However, the risk is still taken because if not done Voyager 2 will stop operating next year.
Voyager 2 has been operating for almost 45 years and it has managed to collect various scientific data useful to mankind. It's quite amazing that it can still continue the mission even though in the early stages it was only tasked to travel up to the planets Jupiter and Saturn in a mission that took four years.