NASA has announced the end of its MAVEN spacecraft mission, which spent over 11 years studying the Martian atmosphere. The mission was launched in 2013 and exceeded its one-year mission by a decade.
NASA announced the end of its MAVEN spacecraft mission, which spent over 11 years studying the Martian atmosphere, after losing contact six months ago. MAVEN , launched in 2013, was the U.S. space agency's first mission to observe the Martian atmosphere and its evolution.
The spacecraft exceeded its one-year mission by a decade, orbiting Mars since 2014. NASA officials said they last heard from MAVEN on December 6, when it experienced an unexpected loss of signal after passing behind Mars from Earth's vantage point, and was later determined to be in an unrecoverable state. A NASA review board is working to determine what caused the failure.
MAVEN was involved in relaying Mars science data from assets such as the robotic surface rovers Curiosity and Perseverance to Earth. However, there is now a slight delay in getting such science data relayed. MAVEN explored the Martian atmosphere and studied atmospheric interactions with the sun and the solar wind to better understand the loss of the planet's atmosphere to space.
The spacecraft learned that the erosion of the Martian atmosphere increases dramatically during space weather events and discovered several types of auroras that flare up when energetic particles from these storms plunge into the atmosphere. It also worked with Perseverance to observe an aurora on Mars in visible light for the first time, with the sky glowing softly in green.
The NASA review board is continuing its investigation into what happened to MAVEN, and the results are expected in the coming months. The agency's Mars relay network has four other spacecraft still operating, but there have been some small adjustments made to rover operations as a result of MAVEN's failure. NASA officials said MAVEN will remain in orbit for 50 to 100 years before falling to the Martian surface and will not endanger any of the agency's other spacecraft
NASA MAVEN Mars Spacecraft Atmosphere
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Serena Williams is latest of sport's top names to stage comebackTennis great Serena Williams ends months of speculation over a rumored return with a cheeky social media video
Read more »
Joint Declaration of Interest in Space Cooperation Signed by Philippines and JapanThe Philippines and Japan have signed a joint declaration of interest in space cooperation, reaffirming their shared goals and interest in satellite joint mission partnerships, space exploration, and human spaceflight.
Read more »
Philippines and Japan Strengthen Space CooperationThe Philippine Space Agency and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency have signed a joint declaration of interest in space cooperation, reaffirming their commitment to expanding collaboration in space science, technology and related industries.
Read more »
Philippines and Japan Expand Space Cooperation with New Joint DeclarationThe Philippines and Japan have signed a Joint Declaration of Interest to deepen space cooperation, focusing on satellite missions, human spaceflight, and sustainable use of outer space. The agreement, signed during President Marcos' state visit, marks a decade since the Diwata-1 microsatellite launch and strengthens ties through initiatives like Sentinel Asia for disaster management.
Read more »