USA: After nearly four years on Mars, NASA's InSight lander mission is now complete.

The official announcement was made on Wednesday after Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) mission controllers were unable to communicate with the lander after two consecutive attempts, leading the team to believe that the Mars spacecraft had run out of energy, a situation Known as "the dead".

The InSight lander, which landed on Mars in November 2018 and stands to explore the interior using seismic probes, geodesy and heat transport, is now permanently silenced.

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The $814 million solar-powered spacecraft was nearing its end for months after Martian dust had accumulated on its solar panels, reducing its ability to generate electricity.

When the InSight lander failed to reach Earth twice in a row, NASA initially intended to terminate the mission.

Although it's unlikely at this point, the agency will continue to listen for any signals from the lander just to be safe.
The team last had contact with the lander on 15 December.

Key inputs to the mission include knowledge of the inner layers of Mars (crust, mantle and core), weather patterns and marsquakes. The lander's solar panels began to lose energy as dust built up on them, so the seismometer was the last scientific instrument to remain operational.

According to JPL director Laurie Leshin, InSight lives up to its name. As a scientist who has dedicated his career to studying Mars, it has been exciting to see what the lander has accomplished.

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The success of this mission was made possible by a great team of people.
Although it is difficult to say goodbye, InSight's legacy will continue to inform and inspire.

Another device known as the Heat Flow and Physical Properties Package, or "Mole", was aboard. The 16-inch-long mole was built to probe the surface of Mars and measure the planet's internal heat. It was equipped with a temperature sensor. But it was difficult because of the rocky soil near Insight.

In the process, useful information was gathered about the thermal and physical characteristics of the Martian soil.

InSight's internal seismometer has recorded 1,319 earthquakes, including those from meteorite impacts. The largest meteorite impact on Mars, which occurred in February, left a crater that was about 500 feet wide and boulder-sized pieces of ice that lie beneath the Martian surface.

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Using seismic data, scientists can learn more about a planet's crust, mantle and core.