Mars's MAVEN spacecraft loses power after 11 years

NASA announced the end of the MAVEN spacecraft's mission after more than 11 years of orbiting Mars. The Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) spacecraft, which had been studying the Martian atmosphere since 2014, unexpectedly stopped responding in December. This occurred shortly after it passed behind Mars, a routine maneuver that usually involves a brief communication blackout.

A review board determined that MAVEN began an uncontrolled rotation, rapidly depleting its batteries and resulting in a loss of power to its communication systems. Efforts to re-establish contact and reboot the spacecraft's computer were unsuccessful, leading the board to conclude that MAVEN was unrecoverable.

The MAVEN mission was initially planned for one year but far exceeded expectations. Its primary objective was to understand the processes that led to the loss of Mars's atmosphere, a key factor in its transformation from a potentially habitable world to its current cold, dry state. The spacecraft provided valuable data on atmospheric escape rates and solar wind interactions.

While other orbiters will cover MAVEN's communication relay role, its loss will cause minor delays in returning science data. MAVEN is expected to continue orbiting Mars for another 50 to 100 years before its orbit degrades. The mission's conclusion marks the end of a significant era in Mars atmospheric research.