By: My Space
NASA has confirmed that its Mars lander, InSight, has gone silent after four years of operation. The lander stopped transmitting data on Wednesday,
December 21th, and despite attempting to revive it, NASA has not been able to re-establish contact with the spacecraft.
It was launched in 2018 and arrived at Mars in November of that year. The lander's mission was to study the planet's deep interior, providing insight into its geological structure and composition.
It was able to measure the Martian weather, take images of the planet's surface, and measure the vibrations of the planet's interior.
InSight was powered by a solar array, meaning that the decrease in sunlight during the Martian winter caused the lander's power levels to drop.
The lander had been transmitting data up until Wednesday, but the last transmission received by NASA was a "low-power fault" alarm, indicating that the lander had lost power.
NASA engineers are continuing to attempt to revive the lander, but the mission may be over. It was originally planned to last two years.
InSight's mission was part of NASA's Mars Exploration Program, which is focused on understanding the climate, as well as searching for evidence of ancient life.
The program has sent a number of rovers and landers to Mars, including the Curiosity and Perseverance rovers, as well as the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.
The loss of InSight is a major setback for NASA, but the mission has still provided valuable data and insights into the planet's interior.