NASA has officially ended the MAVEN mission after losing contact with the spacecraft during a routine Mars occultation in December. The spacecraft, which studied Mars' atmosphere for 11 years, far exceeded its original mission timeline but failed to reestablish communications after passing behind the planet. Engineers were unable to determine the exact cause of the failure despite recovery attempts.
Background
MAVEN (Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution) was a NASA spacecraft launched in 2013 to study Mars' upper atmosphere and its interaction with solar wind, providing crucial insights into the planet's climate history and potential for past habitability.
- Source
- Ars Technica
- Published
- Jun 5, 2026 at 12:21 AM
- Score
- 7.0 / 10