NASA is on the verge of confirming the probable cessation of its long-serving Mars orbiter, MAVEN, after an uninterrupted month of communication failure. The spacecraft, formally known as the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution mission, initially went silent on December 6th as it transited behind the Red Planet. While this loss of signal was anticipated, communication was not re-established upon its reappearance. Subsequent analyses of fragmented tracking data indicate the orbiter is no longer stable and has veered from its intended flight path, suggesting an irreversible operational failure for the mission that has significantly advanced our understanding of Mars' atmospheric evolution.
The MAVEN probe, while perhaps not as widely recognized as its counterparts like the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter or the European Space Agency’s Mars Express, has nevertheless played a crucial role in Martian exploration. It has yielded captivating scientific imagery and provided essential data that complemented images captured by the Mars Perseverance Rover. These contributions have been instrumental in shedding light on Mars' atmospheric history and its ongoing interaction with solar winds.
According to reports from Space News, Louise Prockter, who leads NASA's planetary science division, has expressed a bleak outlook regarding the possibility of recovering the spacecraft. During a recent gathering of the Small Bodies Assessment Group in Baltimore, Prockter stated that efforts to locate the spacecraft have been unsuccessful and it is no longer within its designated orbit. This suggests that the chances of regaining control and resuming its mission are exceedingly low, marking a potential end to MAVEN's decade-long service.
NASA's earlier assessments indicated that MAVEN exhibited unexpected rotational behavior upon its re-emergence from behind Mars. Engineers have been diligently piecing together a timeline of events and investigating potential causes by scrutinizing tracking data from a radio science experiment conducted on December 6th. Despite repeated attempts to re-establish contact and send commands via the Deep Space Network’s global array of radio antennas, no response has been received.
Furthermore, an innovative attempt was made using the Curiosity rover to photograph MAVEN as it was projected to pass overhead. However, no spacecraft was detected, possibly due to MAVEN's deviation from its expected trajectory. Launched in 2013 and entering orbit in 2014, MAVEN's primary mission was a two-year study of Mars' upper atmosphere and its interaction with solar wind. The spacecraft significantly surpassed its initial objectives, operating for over a decade and providing critical data on how Mars gradually lost much of its atmosphere over billions of years. It also served as a vital communication relay for the Curiosity and Perseverance rovers on the Martian surface.
The impending loss of the MAVEN orbiter signifies the conclusion of an era for a mission that has provided invaluable insights into the atmospheric dynamics of Mars. Its extended operational life far exceeded expectations, delivering a wealth of scientific data and supporting critical surface operations, leaving a lasting legacy in humanity's quest to understand the Red Planet.