
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
KJ Apa stars as Jimmy Stewart in new biopic: See his transformation - 2
‘The White Lotus’ sparked online interest in risky anxiety pills, study says - 3
French and Malaysian authorities are investigating Grok for generating sexualized deepfakes - 4
Portugal among EU countries with the most people working close to 50 hours a week - 5
Most loved Seared Chicken: Which Chain Rules?
The 12 biggest space stories of 2025 — according to you
Bayer reports positive results for blood thinner after 2023 setback
Women take pride in Holy Week roles after a Spanish Catholic brotherhood's procession excluded them
What causes RFK Jr.’s strained and shaky voice? A neurologist explains this little-known disorder
'People We Meet on Vacation' is the 1st of many Emily Henry adaptations: What other books turned movies to look forward to
Influencers are selling a delusional fantasy of being postpartum. Why is it so easy to believe?
Tech giants accused of not complying with Australian social media ban
Smuggler who called migrants 'chickens' jailed
Al-Sharaa denies he called for 80% of Syrians to return from Germany












