NASA continues to try to contact Mars rover Opportunity for now

The US space agency says it will continue to try to reconnect with Mars rover Opportunity for the time being. It got caught in a massive dust storm a few months ago, and the rover hasn’t been heard from since.

NASA says it will continue to listen for any signal from Opportunity in the coming months. In January, the space agency will reassess whether the efforts will be abandoned. According to NASA, winds on Mars could pick up at Opportunity’s site in the coming months, potentially blowing dust off the rover’s solar panels. In the past, there has also been an increasing wind in November to January, which has previously led to ‘blown clean’ solar panels of the Opportunity.

For now, NASA technicians have still not heard from the Mars rover. Attempts to extend the frequency range for giving commands have also failed so far. It is possible that Opportunity’s batteries have become too cold, so that they may no longer function or function properly, NASA’s Lori Glaze previously told The Times.

Opportunity was thrown into a massive dust storm from June 10 that ravaged the entire planet. As a result, the rover could no longer absorb the sun’s rays for the power supply and lost contact with the earth. Opportunity can no longer charge its battery and therefore ended up in a kind of sleep mode. The rover has already been located on Mars, but it is not clear how much dust may still be on the solar panels.