NASA announced the end of the MAVEN mission on May 29, 2024 [4], declaring the spacecraft dead after losing contact for several months.

The loss of the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution orbiter removes a critical tool for studying the Martian atmosphere and its gradual depletion over time. The mission provided unique insights into how Mars lost its water and air to space.

MAVEN lost contact with Earth in December 2023 [2]. The spacecraft experienced an anomaly while on the far side of Mars, which triggered a transition into safe mode [5]. Despite recovery attempts, the orbiter remained silent for about six months before NASA officially ceased operations [3].

Launched in 2013, the mission operated for more than 11 years [1]. During its tenure, the orbiter discovered aurorae on Mars and provided data on the planet's atmospheric evolution [3]. The program carried a cost of $582 million [2].

The announcement came from NASA headquarters in Washington, D.C., and was reported from Cape Canaveral, Florida [2]. The agency had spent the intervening months attempting to re-establish a link with the spacecraft, but those efforts were unsuccessful [3].

NASA officials said the mission had concluded. The spacecraft's inability to exit safe mode or respond to commands led to the final determination that the orbiter was lost forever [3].

“NASA announced the end of the MAVEN mission on May 29, 2024.”

The termination of MAVEN marks the end of a decade-long effort to understand the habitability of Mars. By studying how the solar wind stripped the Martian atmosphere, MAVEN helped scientists determine why the planet transitioned from a potentially wet, warm world to the frozen desert seen today. The loss of this specific orbital data source may shift future research focus toward newer assets or future missions to fill the gap in atmospheric monitoring.