Mars Missions on Hold: NASA Pauses as Red Planet Disappears

NASA has temporarily paused all Mars missions due to a solar conjunction event, where Mars passes to the opposite side of the sun from Earth. This event occurs every two Earth years and causes a communication blackout between Earth and Mars. During this time, mission controllers lose contact with robotic Mars missions, including the Curiosity and Perseverance rovers, the Ingenuity helicopter, and spacecraft in orbit. The pause allows for the prevention of any interference with the operations of the robots or spacecraft. Signals to Mars will resume on November 25, and Mars missions will continue to gather data during this period.