NASA ends MAVEN mission after Mars orbiter falls silent
Summary
NASA will end its MAVEN mission after losing contact with the spacecraft for six months. MAVEN, launched in 2014 to study Mars' atmosphere, operated for over ten years before going silent in December 2025.Key Facts
- MAVEN stands for Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution.
- The spacecraft entered orbit around Mars in 2014.
- The original mission was planned for 1-2 years, but MAVEN lasted more than a decade.
- Contact with MAVEN was lost in December 2025 and remained silent for six months.
- NASA believes the spacecraft is still orbiting Mars but cannot communicate with it.
- MAVEN helped scientists learn about atmospheric escape, which is when gases leave a planet’s atmosphere.
- The probe also acted as a communication relay between Earth and Mars surface robots.
- Other Mars orbiters will now take over communication duties.
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