NASA's Maven Mars Orbiter Ends Successful 12-Year Mission After Technical Failure
The Maven orbiter ended its mission after more than a decade of atmospheric study. NASA confirmed the spacecraft cannot be recovered.
spacenews.comNASA declared its Mars Maven spacecraft dead after six months of radio silence. The space agency confirmed the mission had ended after more than a decade of observations. The spacecraft launched in 2013 to study the red planet’s atmosphere from orbit.
Maven fell silent in early December after passing behind Mars. Data indicated the spacecraft went into a fast spin, which disrupted its orbit and drained the onboard batteries. A NASA review board convened earlier in 2026 concluded that the spacecraft is useless and unable to be recovered.
An investigation continues into what caused the problem. Maven studied Martian weather and observed a stray interstellar comet in 2025. The orbiter also helped relay information from NASA’s Curiosity and Perseverance rovers on the surface.
