NASA’s MAVEN Mars orbiter ends its mission after months of radio silence

NASA has declared its Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) mission dead after months of radio silence. Last contact came on December 6 as MAVEN went behind Mars and entered a safe, tumbling state that led to a loss of power; repeated attempts to reestablish communication have failed. Launched in 2013 and arriving in 2014 to study Mars’ atmosphere and its interaction with the solar wind, MAVEN exceeded its original one-year plan and even served as a relay for surface rovers. With MAVEN’s loss, only Odyssey and MRO remain in Mars orbit. NASA will hold a briefing and notes that MAVEN’s data will continue to benefit Mars science for decades while the exact cause of the incident is still under investigation.