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NASA has officially concluded the mission of the MAVEN spacecraft after losing contact with the probe in December 2025, bringing to an end more than 11 years of atmospheric research around Mars.
The Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) mission was the first NASA project dedicated entirely to studying the Martian atmosphere and how it has changed over time. Launched in 2013 and inserted into Mars orbit in 2014, the spacecraft far exceeded its original mission lifespan.
According to NASA, the last signal from MAVEN was received on December 6, 2025. After emerging from behind Mars relative to Earth, the spacecraft unexpectedly failed to re-establish communications. Subsequent analysis determined that recovery was no longer possible.
Project manager Mike Moreau said an investigation is still underway, but preliminary findings suggest the spacecraft began spinning at roughly 2.7 revolutions per minute after exiting Mars' shadow, potentially draining its batteries and disabling its communications systems.
During its mission, MAVEN served not only as a scientific observatory but also as a communications relay for the Mars rovers Curiosity and Perseverance. NASA said the loss of the spacecraft is expected to have only a minimal impact on ongoing Mars operations because several other orbiters remain active.
MAVEN helped scientists better understand how solar radiation and the solar wind stripped away much of Mars’ atmosphere over billions of years, transforming the planet from a potentially habitable world into the cold, dry environment seen today.
Among its most significant discoveries, the spacecraft confirmed that atmospheric loss accelerates during major solar storms, detected multiple types of Martian auroras, and, together with Perseverance, recorded the first visible green nightglow in the Martian sky. In 2025, it also observed the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS.
NASA estimates that MAVEN will remain in its highly elliptical orbit around Mars for another 50 to 100 years before eventually descending to the planet’s surface. Despite the mission’s end, four other spacecraft continue to operate within Mars’ communications network, ensuring continued support for current and future exploration efforts.
