Los Angeles, June 4: NASA’s first mission to study the Martian atmosphere, the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN), has officially concluded. The agency announced this decision following the loss of contact with the spacecraft last December.
Launched on November 18, 2013, MAVEN entered Mars’ orbit on September 21, 2014. Initially designed for a one-year mission, it exceeded expectations by operating for over 11 years.
According to reports from the Xinhua News Agency, the last communication with the spacecraft occurred on December 6, 2025, when it unexpectedly lost signal after passing behind Mars.
In February, NASA established an investigation board to determine the cause of the issue and assess whether repairs were feasible.
On Wednesday, NASA announced that the investigation board concluded that the MAVEN spacecraft could no longer be repaired and was unable to fulfill its scientific and data transmission roles.
Preliminary investigations revealed that after passing behind Mars, the spacecraft began to spin rapidly, disrupting its orbit and trajectory, which eventually drained its batteries. The loss of power also led to the shutdown of its communication system, preventing contact with Earth.
The agency noted that the root cause of this problem remains under investigation, with a final report expected by the end of this year.
NASA has initiated the formal process to conclude this mission, ensuring that all mission data is preserved for scientists and the space research community.
Louise Prockter, director of the Planetary Science Division at NASA Headquarters in Washington, stated, “The science provided by MAVEN is crucial for understanding the radiation safety and protective measures needed before sending humans to Mars.”
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