WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 28th October, 2022) The US InSight Lander exploration vehicle on the surface of Mars is losing power on its solar panels after being hit by a heavy dust storm and now has only four-to-six weeks of energy left after four years of operation, NASA officials told a press conference on Thursday.
"InSight was spared by the dust storm (but) has cut down its power levels from (more than) 400 watt-hours per sol (Martian solar day) to less than 300 watt-hours per sol (and its batteries are being slowly depleted," Jet Propulsion Laboratory Principal Investigator Bruce Banerdt told reporters.
The dust storm was first observed from orbit by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter on September 21 and by October 3, it had boosted the dust haze around the InSight lander on the surface of the planet by 40%, NASA said.
"Four to six weeks from now, we will lose the power to operate and lose contact with the spacecraft, which is sad," Banerdt said.
InSight has operated successfully on the surface of Mars for the past four years, which is already twice its original projected lifetime, NASA officials said.
