NASA Retires MAVEN After 11 Years of Mars Atmosphere Discoveries Following Unrecoverable Anomaly
The agency confirmed Wednesday that the orbiter, launched in 2013, is beyond recovery following a fast spin that drained its batteries. MAVEN completed more than a decade of atmospheric observations at Mars.
ForbesNASA declared the MAVEN spacecraft mission ended after six months of radio silence. The space agency confirmed the decision on Wednesday. MAVEN was launched in 2013 to study Mars’ atmosphere from orbit.
It has been orbiting the planet since 2014. The spacecraft fell silent in early December after passing behind Mars. Data indicated that MAVEN went into a fast spin that disrupted its orbit and drained its onboard batteries.
A NASA review board convened earlier this year concluded that the spacecraft is useless and unable to be recovered. An investigation continues into what caused the problem. Besides studying Martian weather, MAVEN observed a stray interstellar comet last year.
It also helped relay information from NASA’s Curiosity and Perseverance rovers on the surface. MAVEN completed more than a decade of observations, including an 11-year exploration of Mars’ atmosphere and climate.
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