<p class="title">US space agency NASA will make one final attempt to contact its Opportunity Rover on Mars late Tuesday, eight months after it last made contact.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The agency also said it would hold a briefing Wednesday, during which it will likely officially declare the end of the mission.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Opportunity landed on Mars in 2004 and covered 45 kilometres on the planet, securing its place in history after lasting well beyond its expected 90-day mission.</p>.<p class="bodytext">But a giant dust storm last year blocked sunlight from Mars, stopping Opportunity's solar-powered batteries from being able to recharge.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Despite NASA engineers' best efforts to get a response via radio channels, its last communication was on June 10, 2018.</p>.<p class="bodytext">In August, NASA caused an outcry after setting a 45-day deadline before it would declare "Oppy" dead. In October, it extended the deadline to January to reevaluate the situation.</p>
<p class="title">US space agency NASA will make one final attempt to contact its Opportunity Rover on Mars late Tuesday, eight months after it last made contact.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The agency also said it would hold a briefing Wednesday, during which it will likely officially declare the end of the mission.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Opportunity landed on Mars in 2004 and covered 45 kilometres on the planet, securing its place in history after lasting well beyond its expected 90-day mission.</p>.<p class="bodytext">But a giant dust storm last year blocked sunlight from Mars, stopping Opportunity's solar-powered batteries from being able to recharge.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Despite NASA engineers' best efforts to get a response via radio channels, its last communication was on June 10, 2018.</p>.<p class="bodytext">In August, NASA caused an outcry after setting a 45-day deadline before it would declare "Oppy" dead. In October, it extended the deadline to January to reevaluate the situation.</p>