Yeah, it's weird how these things can be dead in the water, then they suddenly announce, "Repairs were made and we're going again." Weird how they make repairs from 180 million miles away.
Maybe they bought the 'Express On-site Service' extended maintenance contract.
Often it is switching to redundant equipment. However, I have seen (and uploaded) software repairs to overcome a non-repairable hardware problem such as the loss of an attitude control device.
We attempt to put in place both hardware and software that is specifically designed for the more common failures. Also, many vehicles are loaded with on-board Failure Detection, Isolation and Recovery (FDIR) software/hardware.