NASA declares end of mission for long-lasting Mars orbiter NASA has declared the end of the MAVEN mission after the Mars orbiter was lost following a 20- to 30-minute pass behind the planet. The spacecraft, which was studying solar wind impacts on the Martian atmosphere, has not been heard from since December 6, 2025. Despite efforts to remotely reset its computer, communications could not be re-established, confirming the mission’s end.

• NASA has officially ended its MAVEN Mars mission after the spacecraft went silent.
• The probe disappeared six months ago during a scheduled pass behind Mars and has not communicated since.
• Efforts to remotely reset the spacecraft’s computer and regain contact were unsuccessful.
• MAVEN’s mission involved studying how solar wind erodes the Martian atmosphere, providing significant insights.
• One key discovery identified ‘sputtering’ as a dominant atmospheric escape mechanism.
• The probe also served as a communications relay for Mars rovers.
• An anomaly review board is investigating the root cause of the loss of signal.
• Recovered data fragments suggest the spacecraft was rotating rapidly, preventing normal communication and power generation.