NASA’s InSight Mars Mission Declared Over After Four Years

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) InSight mission, which has helped scientists in mapping Mars’ geology and interior, has officially ended after 4 years of sending crucial data to Earth, the space agency announced on Thursday.

This comes after InSight took its last photo post with a sad tweet which had the rover thanking all who journeyed with him through the years.

“My power’s really low, so this may be the last image I can send. Don’t worry about me though: my time here has been both productive and serene. If I can keep talking to my mission team, I will – but I’ll be signing off here soon. Thanks for staying with me,” InSight’s tweet read.

NASA lost contact with InSight after two failed communication attempts as the rover’s solar batteries finally lost power.

“NASA’s InSight mission has ended after more than four years of collecting unique science on Mars,” NASA’s press release read.

Martian dust has been collecting over the solar panel of the rover since it landed on the red planet on November 2018, sharing the same fate with the Opportunity rover, which stopped communicating with Earth in early June after its solar panels were covered with dust following a dust storm.

NASA said that they received InSight’s final communication with Earth on December 15, with the space agency opting to declare the mission over after two failed communication attempts.

InSight landed on Mars back in November 2018 in an area called Elysium Planitia after launching from Earth aboard an Atlas V rocket. The rover’s mission was different from that of other rovers, as InSight focused on knowing more about Mars’ interior instead of searching for signs of water, life, or extinct life on the Red Planet. (GFB)