NASA formally declares end to MAVEN Mars mission following loss of contact

NASA has officially declared its MAVEN spacecraft mission over after the probe went silent in December following more than a decade of observations of Mars’ upper atmosphere.

The space agency confirmed this week that the mission had ended after the spacecraft fell silent in early December and failed to re-establish contact for six months, according to US media reports.

“The team really did experience the loss of a loved one with the end of the mission here,” NASA project manager Mike Moreau is cited.

Launched in 2013, MAVEN (Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN) was designed to study how the Red Planet’s atmosphere has changed over time and how it interacts with solar wind. The spacecraft unexpectedly stopped communicating after passing behind Mars, with data suggesting it entered a rapid spin that disrupted its orbit and drained its onboard batteries.

A NASA review board later concluded the spacecraft cannot be recovered and is no longer functional. MAVEN is expected to remain in Mars orbit for 50 to 100 years before eventually crashing into the planet, with no risk posed to other spacecraft in the meantime. An investigation into the exact cause of the failure is still ongoing.

Beyond its primary atmospheric research, MAVEN also supported Mars exploration by relaying communications from NASA’s Curiosity and Perseverance rovers, and even contributed observations of a passing interstellar comet.

NASA officials said that other spacecraft currently orbiting Mars — including two American and two European missions — will continue supporting ongoing science and communications operations, ensuring no interruption to rover activities on the surface.

MAVEN’s lead scientist, Shannon Curry of the University of Colorado Boulder, said the mission significantly deepened understanding of how Mars lost much of its atmosphere over time and how the planet evolved into its current state.

By Nazrin Sadigova