NASA's MAVEN Mars Orbiter Ends Mission After 11 Years

NASA has announced the end of the MAVEN Mars orbiter mission after more than 11 years of operation. MAVEN, which stands for Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution, was NASA's first spacecraft dedicated to observing the Martian atmosphere. It lost contact with Earth six months ago. Launched in 2013, the probe began orbiting Mars in 2014 on a primary mission of one year, which was extended to over 11 years. NASA officials told the media on Tuesday that the last communication with MAVEN was on December 6, 2024, when it unexpectedly lost contact while passing behind Mars from Earth's perspective, and it was later confirmed to be 'unrecoverable.' NASA MAVEN Project Manager Mike Moreau said an investigation board is still looking into the cause of the failure. MAVEN was responsible for relaying scientific data from the Curiosity and Perseverance rovers back to Earth, exploring the Martian atmosphere, studying the interaction between the solar wind and Mars, and understanding how the Martian atmosphere escapes into space. Over 3 billion years ago, Mars was warm and wet, potentially suitable for microbial life. Today, due to atmospheric loss, it is a dry, cold desert environment inhospitable to life. The investigation board's preliminary assessment is that MAVEN experienced an anomalous autonomous spin while passing behind Mars, preventing its solar panels from facing the sun, which ultimately drained its batteries and permanently disabled its communication systems. The spacecraft remains in an elliptical orbit around Mars and is expected to drift for another 50 to 100 years before crashing into the Martian surface, posing no threat to other operational spacecraft.