NASA’s MAVEN spacecraft mission officially ended on June 3, 2026, after the orbiter lost contact with Earth on December 6, 2025, during a pass behind Mars and never regained communication [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]. MAVEN had been in orbit for over 11 years, exceeding its original one- to two-year planned mission by a wide margin [1, 4, 7].
The spacecraft launched from Earth aboard an Atlas V rocket on November 18, 2013, and entered Mars orbit on September 22, 2014, to begin its science mission [4]. It functioned normally before losing signal shortly after emerging from behind Mars in its orbit. NASA recovered faint telemetry data after the signal loss, but efforts to restore contact ultimately failed [2, 4, 5].
A preliminary investigation suggests MAVEN entered safe mode and began rotating uncontrollably after occultation by Mars, which drained its batteries and caused permanent communication loss [8, 4, 5, 6]. An anomaly review board convened in February 2026 concluded the spacecraft is no longer capable of conducting scientific or relay operations [5, 9].
MAVEN made significant contributions to understanding Mars’ atmosphere, climate history, and the process of atmospheric escape caused by solar wind and storms. It also discovered new types of Martian auroras [1, 3, 4, 10, 11, 5]. Shannon Curry, MAVEN principal investigator, said, "The MAVEN mission has truly advanced our understanding of the Martian atmosphere and evolution" and added the mission provided insight into planetary atmospheres more detailed than for any planet including Earth [1, 4]. NASA exploration chief Tiffany Morgan called the mission’s achievements profound for studies of Mars climate and habitability [1].
The orbiter also relayed communications between Earth and Mars surface rovers such as Curiosity and Perseverance. Other orbiters will now take over MAVEN’s relay functions [1, 10, 11, 6].
The MAVEN spacecraft remains in an elliptical orbit around Mars and is expected to drift for 50 to 100 years before eventually crashing into the planet’s surface [8, 6]. NASA project manager Mike Moreau said, "NASA has ceased efforts to search for the MAVEN spacecraft and are beginning activities to decommission the mission" [2].
