Tracking of the Schiaparelli robot's radio signals was dropped less than a minute before it was expected to touch down on the Red Planet's surface.
Satellites at Mars have attempted to shed light on the probe's status, so far without success.
One American satellite even called out to Schiaparelli to try to get it to respond.
The fear will be that the robot has crashed and been destroyed. The European Space Agency, however, is a long way from formally calling that outcome.
