Nasa loses contact with spacecraft orbiting Mars for more than a decade

"Nasa has lost contact with a spacecraft that has orbited Mars for more than a decade, though the US space agency said it was trying to re-establish a communications link. Maven abruptly stopped communicating to ground stations over the weekend. Nasa said this week that the spacecraft had been working fine before it went behind the red planet. When it reappeared, there was only silence."

"Telemetry showed all subsystems working normally before it orbited behind [Mars], Nasa said in a statement. The spacecraft and operations teams are investigating the anomaly to address the situation. More information will be shared once it becomes available, Nasa added. 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."

NASA has lost contact with MAVEN, a spacecraft that has orbited Mars for more than a decade, and is attempting to re-establish communications. MAVEN abruptly stopped communicating with ground stations over the weekend after operating normally and passing behind Mars; when it reappeared, no signals were received. Telemetry indicated all subsystems were functioning normally before the occultation. Mission and operations teams are investigating the anomaly and will provide updates when available. Launched in 2013, MAVEN studies the upper Martian atmosphere and its interaction with the solar wind and has relayed data for Curiosity and Perseverance. Two other active Mars orbiters, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and Mars Odyssey, remain operational.

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