The Phoenix lander’s end appears to be near with NASA’s officials confirming the news about the juiced out batteries. They explained that since its landing on May 25, the lander managed to keep on going despite the dust storms and the temperatures which even dropped to minus 141 degrees Fahrenheit, and everyone involved in the project was aware that at a certain point they would have to deal with this situation.

"We knew this was coming," said project manager Barry Goldstein, being aware that they pushed the lander as far as it can go.

The hope is still present, and NASA released an official statement showing that they keep a positive view on things: “The communication reinforced a diagnosis that the spacecraft is in a precautionary mode triggered by low energy. Mission engineers are assessing the lander’s condition and steps necessary for returning to science operations.”

Earlier this week the Phoenix went into safe mode, looking to save its battery power. It did not respond to the first two wake-up calls but after that, managed to power up, sent a signal back to the Mars Odyssey spacecraft and then returned to sleep mode. All these fluctuations point out that there is not much that can be done, but even so, the agency’s officials explained that they will keep a close eye on the monitors over the weekend.

The Phoenix’s mission was supposed to last for three months but it was extended for another two in order to gather more valuable data.