Overview
- MAVEN, which last communicated on Dec. 6, 2025, failed to reestablish contact after a routine pass behind Mars and brief open‑loop Deep Space Network data showed it in safe mode and spinning at about 2.7 revolutions per minute.
- A NASA anomaly review board concluded the rapid rotation likely depleted MAVEN’s batteries and caused its communications to lose power, and the board has declared the spacecraft unrecoverable while investigators continue seeking a root cause.
- NASA has begun formal decommissioning and archiving of MAVEN’s more than 11 years of observations, preserving a dataset that has produced over 800 scientific papers and unique measurements of atmospheric escape, auroras, and dust‑storm effects.
- MAVEN played an outsized role in the Mars Relay Network by carrying a large share of science data, so its loss has forced modest relay‑scheduling changes for rovers even though Odyssey, MRO and ESA orbiters remain available to take over duties.
- The defunct orbiter will remain in Mars orbit for decades and its loss has added urgency to NASA’s plans for a dedicated Mars Telecommunications Network, for which procurement activity and funding steps are already under way.