The Russian spacecraft that launched the Phobos-Grunt mission apparently got stuck in Earth orbit after its own thrusters failed to fire and send the spacecraft toward Mars.

The malfunction dealt a serious blow to the $163 million Phobos-Grunt mission which aims to bring soil from Mar's moon Phobos' and send them back to Earth by 2014.

But there may still be hope for the spacecraft, which is Russia's first attempt at an interplanetary mission since 1996, according to Russian space agency chief Vladimir Popovkin.

In a report, the Russian news agency RIA Novosti said that according to Popovkin, engineers are not yet sure why Phobos-Grunt's engine didn't ignite but it's possible that the onboard computers didn't send the proper command.

"We will attempt to reboot the program," Popovkin told RIA Novosti.

"The spacecraft is currently on a support orbit, the fuel tanks have not been jettisoned, and the fuel has not been spent."

According to Russian space officials, engineers have about three days to figure out and fix the problem, but after that time, the Phobos-Grunt's batteries will run out. If that happens, the spacecraft will likely turn into just another piece of space debris, according to Popovkin.

James Oberg, a NASA veteran who now works as a space consultant, is in agreement that it is still possible to regain control over the probe.

"Depending on the actual root of the failure, this is not an impossible challenge," Oberg said in an interview with the Associated Press. However he warned that the effort to restore control over the probe can be hampered by a limited earth-to-space communications network.

The $170 million Phobos-Grunt would have been Russia's first interplanetary mission since Soviet times. If Phobos-Grunt cannot be salvaged, it would mark the fourth straight Mars failure for Russia.