MAVEN Crushed Its Expected Lifespan, Is Finally Dead

NASA has lost one of its Martian workhorses. After six months of silence, the agency has pronounced its MAVEN orbiter dead, ending a more-than-decade-long mission that reshaped scientists' understanding of Mars' atmosphere. MAVEN last checked in on Dec. 6, just before slipping behind the planet, reports Space.com.

When it reappeared, data showed it had gone into safe mode and was in an uncontrollable spin that likely drained its batteries, reports the AP. That caused the "communications system to lose power and [rendered] MAVEN in an unrecoverable state," per a NASA press release. All attempts to regain contact have failed; the incident's exact cause remains under investigation, and a final report is expected later this year.

Launched in November 2013 and expected to operate for only a year after its 10-month journey to the planet, MAVEN instead logged more than a decade in Mars orbit, probing how the solar wind stripped the planet of its air and water and serving as a communications relay for surface rovers. Adds NASA planetary scientist Louise Prockter, "The science MAVEN has given us is key to informing what kind of radiation protection and safety measures we must take before sending humans to Mars." Its loss leaves NASA with two long-lived orbiters still circling Mars: the Mars Odyssey and the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.