NASA has said its InSight Mars lander will end operations in December due to a gradual loss of power caused by an accumulation of dust on its solar panels.
At a special meeting of key InSight mission personnel on Tuesday, May 17, it was confirmed that increasing amounts of dust on the lander’s two 7-feet-wide solar panels meant that it would likely cease science operations by the end of this summer, before completely losing power in December.
Dust problem InSight has been gradually losing power due to an accumulation of dust on its solar panels that has gradually blocked out sunlight. When it arrived on Mars in 2018, the panels produced around 5,000 watt-hours each martian day , but today they’re producing around 500 watt-hours per martian day. Offering some context, NASA says these kind of energy levels would power an electric oven for 100 minutes and 10 minutes, respectively.
The only way that InSight can be saved now is for stronger winds — in the form of a martian whirlwind — to clear the dust off the solar panels.
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