NASA’s InSight Lander has retired

One of the last souvenir shots: The InSight spacecraft captured this image of the seismometer on the surface of Mars on December 11, 2022. The lander's team has tried to contact the spacecraft twice without response, leading them to conclude it has run out of energy. NASA's InSight mission has ended after four years of collecting unique science on Mars. Mission controllers at the agency's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California were unable to contact the lander after two consecutive attempts, leading them to conclude that the spacecraft's solar-powered batteries have run out of energy - a state engineers refer to as "dead bus." NASA had previously decided to declare the mission over if the lander misses two communication attempts. The agency will continue to listen for a signal from the lander, just in case, but hearing from it at this point is considered unlikely. The last time InSight communicated with Earth was December 15. "I watched the launch and landing of this mission, and while saying goodbye to a spacecraft is always sad, the fascinating science InSight conducted is cause for celebration," said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator of NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington.