
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
Select Your Go-To Bluetooth Earphones - 2
Culinary Joys: Investigating Connoisseur Cooking at Home - 3
Instructions to Keep an Inspirational perspective After Cellular breakdown in the lungs Treatment - 4
Bruno Mars tour 2026: How to get tickets for 'The Romantic Tour,' presale times, prices and more - 5
CDC studies show value of nationwide wastewater disease surveillance, as potential funding cut looms
Heart disease risk greater for women with a common condition they may not be aware they have
What loving-kindness meditation is and how to practice it in the new year
Terminal cancer diagnosis announced by JFK's granddaughter
Instructions to Grasp the Innovation Behind 5G Pinnacles\
Experience Arranging: Planning for Epic Excursions
Step by step instructions to Safeguard Your Teeth During Sports Exercises
What's changing about healthcare in 2026 — Medicare, Medicaid, ACA, premiums, and enrollment deadlines
Rights groups condemn Israel Police decision to ban Sudan Genocide protests nationwide
Manhunt for Brown University shooter continues: FBI releases photos of suspect, announces $50K reward












