NASA has lost contact with its Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) spacecraft, a critical orbiter that has been studying the Red Planet's upper atmosphere since 2014. The probe, launched in November 2013 aboard an Atlas-V rocket, entered Mars orbit in September 2014 after a 10-month journey covering 502 million miles.

The communication blackout occurred on 6 December 2025, during a routine orbital pass behind Mars, known as occultation. Prior to this event, telemetry data confirmed all subsystems were functioning normally, with no prior indications of trouble. When MAVEN re-emerged from the planet's far side, NASA's Deep Space Network antennas failed to detect any signal, prompting immediate investigation by mission teams.

A NASA spokeswoman confirmed to the German news agency DPA that no regular data had been received for approximately two weeks leading up to the 20 December update. Engineers detected a brief "short fragment" of telemetry suggesting the spacecraft may have rotated unexpectedly, potentially shifting its orientation or orbit. Efforts to re-establish contact continue, with teams analysing tracking data to pinpoint the anomaly.

MAVEN's primary mission was to investigate how solar wind strips away Mars's atmosphere, providing insights into why the planet lost much of its once-thick atmosphere and surface water billions of years ago. Over its decade-plus tenure, the orbiter has delivered invaluable data on the upper atmosphere, ionosphere, and their interactions with solar particles, supporting over 20 peer-reviewed studies. It has also relayed communications for surface rovers like Curiosity and Perseverance.

The spacecraft remains one of NASA's active Mars fleet, alongside orbiters such as Mars Odyssey and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, plus the rovers Curiosity and Perseverance on the surface. MAVEN's potential loss disrupts not only atmospheric research but also relay capabilities for rover data transmission, though redundant orbiters mitigate immediate impacts on surface mission.

Possible causes under scrutiny include a power glitch, thermal issues from prolonged exposure, or an onboard fault triggering safe mode, where non-essential systems shut down. The unexpected rotation hinted at in telemetry could stem from a momentum wheel desaturation manoeuvre gone awry or attitude control problems. NASA has not ruled out orbital decay after 11 years, though fuel reserves were estimated sufficient for extended operations.

Recovery efforts involve commanding from Earth using the Deep Space Network's antennas in California, Spain, and Australia, scanning multiple frequencies and orbits for any faint signals.

If MAVEN has entered safe mode autonomously, controllers may hail it repeatedly until response. Historical precedents, like recoveries from similar glitches on other probes, offer cautious optimism, but prolonged silence raises concerns over permanent loss.

This incident underscores the vulnerabilities of long-duration deep-space missions, where ageing hardware faces cumulative radiation damage and thermal stresses. MAVEN exceeded its primary two-year mission by nearly a decade, proving remarkably resilient amid Mars's harsh environment of dust storms and solar flares. Its data has reshaped understanding of planetary habitability evolution, influencing future missions like ESCAPADE.

NASA's Mars Exploration Program continues robustly despite this setback, with Perseverance actively sampling for return missions and orbiters providing overlapping coverage. Updates on MAVEN's status are expected as analysis progresses, with mission managers prioritising signal reacquisition to safeguard its scientific legacy.

Based On ANI Report