
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — NASA has lost contact with a spacecraft that has orbited Mars for more than a decade.
Maven abruptly stopped communicating to ground stations over the weekend. NASA said this week that it was working fine before it went behind the red planet. When it reappeared, there was only silence.
Launched in 2013, Maven began studying the upper Martian atmosphere and its interaction with the solar wind once reaching the red planet the following year. Scientists ended up blaming the sun for Mars losing most of its atmosphere to space over the eons, turning it from wet and warm to the dry and cold world it is today.
Maven also has served as a communication relay for NASA’s two Mars rovers, Curiosity and Perseverance.
Engineering investigations are underway, according to NASA.
NASA has two other spacecraft around Mars that are still active: Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, launched in 2005, and Mars Odyssey, launched in 2001.
___
The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
LATEST POSTS
- 1
Nations for Rock Climbing - 2
Windows to the Previous: An Excursion Through the World's Notable Engineering - 3
The most effective method to Boost Benefits in Gold Speculation: Master Techniques and Tips - 4
Humpback whale stranded on Germany's Baltic coast frees itself - 5
German Cabinet advances bill to cut greenhouse emissions from fuels
Giant ‘toothed’ birds flew over Antarctica 40 million to 50 million years ago
Anger as German family business group opens talks with far-right AfD
Comet Lemmon and Milky Way spotted over Hawaii | Space photo of the day for Dec. 12, 2025
Why do people have baby teeth and adult teeth?
Marvel's X-Men are joining the battle in 'Avengers: Doomsday': Watch the teaser
Child influencers helped power a booming industry. It's time for a reckoning.
Flights canceled at 40 U.S. airports: Follow live updates as FAA cuts to air traffic take effect amid government shutdown
Renewables cover over 50% of German electricity consumption in Q1
Moving Wedding Objections for Paramount Functions













