NASA Confirms: Mars-Orbiting MAVEN Probe Has Been Lost

NASA has officially announced that MAVEN, the space probe that studied Mars's atmosphere, has been lost from its mission. The probe went silent at the end of last year, but engineers long held hope for its recovery. Data collected by MAVEN helped answer the question of how Mars became a dry and cold desert.

NASA has confirmed that the space probe MAVEN (Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution), which operated in Mars orbit, has been definitively lost and the mission is considered concluded. The probe went unexpectedly silent at the end of last year, but NASA engineers worked for months on its recovery, hoping to reestablish contact.

What Was MAVEN's Mission?

MAVEN was launched into orbit in 2013, and its primary objective was to study Mars's atmosphere and understand how the planet lost its once-abundant water and thick atmosphere. According to scientists' hypothesis, Mars was likely a much wetter world billions of years ago, but over time it became a dry and cold desert. MAVEN's data has helped explain how solar wind gradually stripped away Mars's atmosphere.

Mission Lasted Over a Decade

Over the course of its ten-year mission, MAVEN collected valuable information about Mars's climate history and sent thousands of measurements back to Earth. The probe also performed additional duties as a data relay link for other Mars missions, serving as a sort of cosmic relay station for rovers operating on the surface.

NASA emphasises that although the probe itself has been lost, the scientific data it collected remains, and research into Mars's atmosphere and climate history will continue. Scientists will analyse MAVEN's measurements for years to come in order to better understand the red planet's past and its potential habitability.