NASA has officially ended the MAVEN mission after losing contact with the orbiter for six months. The Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution spacecraft stopped communicating with ground stations over a weekend and never resumed contact.
The spacecraft had been functioning normally before passing behind Mars, according to NASA. "Telemetry showed all subsystems working normally before it orbited behind Mars," NASA said in a statement. When MAVEN reappeared from behind the planet, engineers found only silence. The space agency spent months investigating the anomaly and attempting to restore communications, but ultimately determined the spacecraft could not be recovered.
Launched in 2013, MAVEN arrived at Mars in 2014 and began its mission studying the upper Martian atmosphere and its interaction with the solar wind. The orbiter's observations helped scientists understand a fundamental question about Mars: how the planet lost most of its atmosphere over billions of years. Early Mars was warmer and wetter, with conditions potentially suitable for life. Solar wind and radiation gradually stripped away the atmosphere, transforming Mars into the cold, dry world seen today.
Beyond its primary research objectives, MAVEN played a crucial operational role for NASA's Mars exploration program. The spacecraft served as a communication relay for NASA's two rovers, Curiosity and Perseverance, transmitting data from the surface back to Earth.
Throughout its more than decade-long mission, MAVEN collected extensive data about Martian atmospheric processes. The spacecraft observed seasonal changes, monitored dust storms, and detected auroras in the Martian sky. This information has provided valuable insights for understanding planetary evolution and informing plans for future human exploration of Mars.
The loss of MAVEN reduces NASA's toolkit for studying the red planet, but the agency maintains other active spacecraft in Mars orbit. Two other orbiters continue operating: Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, launched in 2005, and Mars Odyssey, launched in 2001. These spacecraft will continue supporting scientific investigations and providing communication relay services.
NASA has not disclosed specific details about what caused the orbital anomaly that led to the loss of contact. The incident occurred while MAVEN was in a position behind Mars that prevented direct communication with Earth, complicating recovery efforts.
Despite the mission's unexpected end, MAVEN's scientific legacy remains substantial. The spacecraft's data archive will continue supporting research and analysis for years to come, contributing to humanity's understanding of Mars and planetary atmospheres more broadly.