NASA's 45-day mission to restore Mars rover Opportunity connection

New Delhi : NASA will be starting its efforts to re-establish communication with its lost Mars rover Opportunity.

Talking about it, NASA revealed that they would begin a 45-day campaign of active efforts to restore communications with Opportunity once skies above the rover cleared to a sufficient level, Xinhua reported.

The Mars rover Opportunity has been out of contact since June, when a massive dust storm had hit the red planet.

"The dust haze produced by the Martian global dust storm of 2018 is one of the most extensive on record, but all indications are it is finally coming to a close," said Rich Zurek, project scientist for the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.

Zurek also informed that there are no signs of dust storm near the rover "for some time".

NASA faces criticism

The space agency, however, faced criticism over its decision to limit the search for just 45 days.

Mr Callas said that if Opportunity did not respond to communications attempts after that 45-day campaign, it likely meant the spacecraft had suffered a mission-ending malfunction.

"We will keep trying to get our Martian friend back online. We will not give up on #Oppy even after the 45 days of plan we have put in place!" tweeted Thomas Zurbuchen, NASA associate administrator for science.