NASA declared the MAVEN spacecraft dead on June 5, 2026 [3], following a period of silence from the Mars orbiter.

The loss of the spacecraft marks the end of a mission that fundamentally changed the scientific understanding of the Martian atmosphere. By studying how the planet loses its air to space, the mission provided critical data on the evolution of Mars.

Researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder’s Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) played a central role in the mission. The institution helped design, build, and operate the scientific instruments, and managed the overall mission for NASA [1]. Specifically, LASP built four primary science instruments for the craft [4].

“LASP has been the lead institution on MAVEN from the very beginning, designing the spacecraft’s core science payload and running the mission for more than a decade,” Bruce Jakosky, MAVEN principal investigator and director of LASP, said [1].

Launched on Nov. 18, 2013 [1], MAVEN operated for approximately 11 years [1]. The spacecraft was designed to explore the upper atmosphere and ionosphere of Mars to determine the rate and mechanisms of atmospheric escape.

NASA officials confirmed the mission's end after attempts to re-establish contact failed. “After 11 years of groundbreaking science, we have to accept that MAVEN is no longer communicating,” a NASA spokesperson said [2].

While the spacecraft is now silent, the legacy of its data remains. Dr. Sarah Johnson, a senior scientist at LASP, said that the data returned by MAVEN have transformed the understanding of how the Martian atmosphere is being stripped away [3].

““After 11 years of groundbreaking science, we have to accept that MAVEN is no longer communicating,””

The conclusion of the MAVEN mission represents a transition from active data collection to the analysis phase for Martian atmospheric studies. Because MAVEN provided the primary evidence for how solar winds strip away a planet's atmosphere, its data will serve as the baseline for future missions seeking to determine if Mars was once capable of supporting life.