The Indian Space Organization has announced that the mission of the Mangalyaan Mars Orbiter is officially over.
The orbiter's design lifespan was six months. It lasted eight years. Stuff that is built to handle being flung off the planet often lasts longer than initially intended.
The craft has now lost power and will eventually crash into Mars.
Originally intended as proof of technology (or perhaps more accurately as India showing they could do it), Mangalyaan did some really good science that often went unnoticed. This is the orbiter that created the atlas of Mars' poles and helped us better understand how dust storms on Mars really work.
It also proved that sometimes cheap and rugged is better than expensive and high tech. Worth remembering that sometimes, you really need the space equivalent of an old Land Rover.
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