The National Aeronautics and Space Administration has lost contact with its MAVEN spacecraft, which has orbited Mars for over a decade.
MAVEN, an acronym for Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution, was launched in 2013 and began studying the evolution of Mars' upper atmosphere and its interaction with the solar wind the following year.
The spacecraft’s communication with ground stations abruptly stopped over the weekend. NASA said the probe was operational before passing behind the Red Planet, and once it reappeared, only silence followed.
Last year, MAVEN celebrated its 10th anniversary in orbit at Mars.
“The spacecraft and operations teams are investigating the anomaly to address the situation. More information will be shared once it becomes available,” NASA said in a statement.
From the research MAVEN provided, scientists ended up concluding that the sun and solar activity was responsible for Mars losing most of its atmosphere over eons, transforming it from a wet, warm world into today's dry, cold planet.
MAVEN also served as a communication relay for NASA’s two Mars rovers, Curiosity and Perseverance.
Since landing in the Red Planet’s Jezero Crater in February 2021, Perseverance has collected 30 samples. The rover continues to collect detailed information about geologic targets that it hasn’t sampled by using its abrasion tool. Among the rover’s science instruments is a weather station that provides environmental information for future human missions, as well as swatches of spacesuit material so that NASA can study how it fares on Mars.
Engineering investigations are underway, according to NASA. NASA has two other active spacecraft around Mars: Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (launched 2005) and Mars Odyssey (launched 2001).
“This is the result of the effort of a really tight team that’s been working really hard,” said NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden on Nov. 18, 2013 when he congratulated the MAVEN launch team's liftoff. “I hope this mission serves as a model for those that come after it.”
MAVEN’s lifetime was estimated to last only a year at the time of launch.
