Additional Coverage:
NASA’s Martian Mystery: What Happened to Maven?
NASA is currently investigating a communication blackout with its Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) spacecraft, which has been orbiting the Red Planet for over a decade. Contact with MAVEN was unexpectedly lost on December 6th after the probe passed behind Mars, failing to re-establish communication when it emerged.
Launched in 2013 and entering Mars’ orbit in September 2014, MAVEN’s primary mission has been to study the upper Martian atmosphere and its interaction with solar wind. Its observations have been crucial in understanding how Mars transitioned from a warmer, wetter planet to the dry, cold world it is today, with scientists attributing the loss of much of its atmosphere to the sun over eons.
Beyond its atmospheric research, MAVEN has also played a vital role as a communication relay for NASA’s active Mars rovers, Curiosity and Perseverance. Engineering teams are actively working to determine the cause of the communication failure.
Other Eyes on Mars: NASA’s Remaining Orbital Fleet
While MAVEN’s status remains uncertain, NASA continues to maintain a strong presence in Mars orbit with two other long-serving spacecraft: the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) and Mars Odyssey.
The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, launched in 2005, is tasked with searching for evidence of persistent surface water on Mars. MRO has gained attention for its stunning and sometimes whimsical imagery, including a teddy bear-shaped crater formation captured in 2023 and a “Star Trek” Starfleet logo-like feature formed by natural Martian elements in 2019.
The Mars Odyssey, launched in 2001, holds the impressive record for the longest continuously active mission in orbit around a planet other than Earth. Its mission focuses on studying Martian weather phenomena like clouds, fog, and frost, as well as mapping surface rocks to enhance the safety of future Mars landings. Earlier this year, Mars Odyssey delivered a breathtaking image of a 12-mile-high volcano piercing through clouds at dawn on the Red Planet.