NASA Loses Contact with MAVEN Mars Orbiter

NASA has lost contact with the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution, or MAVEN, spacecraft, which has been orbiting the Red Planet for nearly a decade while studying its atmosphere and relaying data from surface rovers. The probe, launched in November 2013, stopped communicating with ground stations on December 6 after passing behind Mars from Earth's perspective. Telemetry indicated all systems were functioning normally before the occultation, but no signal was received when the spacecraft reemerged, according to a NASA statement released on December 9.

Engineers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, are conducting investigations to diagnose the anomaly and restore contact. "The spacecraft and operations teams are investigating the anomaly to address the situation," NASA officials wrote in the update. "More information will be shared once it becomes available." This marks the latest challenge for MAVEN, which has encountered technical hurdles before. Shortly after entering Mars orbit in September 2014, the probe experienced a glitch that sidelined its instruments for nearly a week. In 2022, it entered safe mode for three months due to problems with its...