NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory has found a way to extend Voyager 2’s working life by carefully reducing its power demands. The power-saving effort, nicknamed “Big Bang,” is designed to give the probe’s three remaining instruments more operating time.

Voyager 2 has been operating with a steadily tightening energy budget, making each shutdown decision important. Engineers coordinated the procedure to reduce consumption while preserving the instruments that continue to support the veteran probe’s mission.

The latest measures are expected to help Voyager 2 continue for about another year. The effort highlights the careful engineering required to keep a decades-old spacecraft functioning as its available power declines.