
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — NASA has lost contact with a spacecraft that has orbited Mars for more than a decade.
Maven abruptly stopped communicating to ground stations over the weekend. NASA said this week that it was working fine before it went behind the red planet. When it reappeared, there was only silence.
Launched in 2013, Maven began studying the upper Martian atmosphere and its interaction with the solar wind once reaching the red planet the following year. Scientists ended up blaming the sun for Mars losing most of its atmosphere to space over the eons, turning it from wet and warm to the dry and cold world it is today.
Maven also has served as a communication relay for NASA’s two Mars rovers, Curiosity and Perseverance.
Engineering investigations are underway, according to NASA.
NASA has two other spacecraft around Mars that are still active: Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, launched in 2005, and Mars Odyssey, launched in 2001.
___
The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
LATEST POSTS
- 1
Carry Nature Inside with These Staggering Plant Decisions06.06.2024 - 2
You finally got a doctor's appointment. Here's how to get the most out of it20.12.2025 - 3
FBI arrests Brian Cole Jr. in Jan. 6 pipe bomb investigation, ending 5-year hunt04.12.2025 - 4
Argentina reportedly delaying embassy move over Israeli company's oil project near Falklands11.01.2026 - 5
EU waters down plans to end new petrol and diesel car sales by 203516.12.2025
Before trips to Mars, we need better protection from cosmic rays
Picking the Right Pot for Your Plants: An Aide for Plant Devotees
Everyone knows F1 is for the girls. I wandered into the Las Vegas desert to find out why.
First Alert: Light snow through this evening
Language Learning Stages: Which One Gets Your Vote?
AfD in Brandenburg takes back suit against the intelligence service
Volcanic eruption led to the Black Death, new research suggests
Best Veggie lover Dinner: What's Your Plant-Based Pick?
This Week In Space podcast: Episode 192 — Space, 2026!












