NASA declares its Mars Maven spacecraft dead after 6 months of silence
NASA has officially declared its Mars Maven spacecraft dead after six months of silence. The spacecraft, which was launched in 2013 to study the Martian atmosphere, fell silent in December 2025 due to a malfunction. An investigation is ongoing to determine the cause of the issue, but the spacecraft is deemed unrecoverable.
- ▪NASA's Maven spacecraft has been declared dead after six months of radio silence.
- ▪The spacecraft went silent after entering a fast spin that disrupted its orbit and drained its batteries.
- ▪Maven contributed significantly to our understanding of Mars, relaying data from rovers and making important atmospheric discoveries.
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US News NASA declares its Mars Maven spacecraft dead after 6 months of silence By Associated Press Published June 3, 2026, 1:25 p.m. ET See more of our coverage in your search results. Add The New York Post on Google CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — After six months of radio silence, NASA’s Maven spacecraft at Mars has been declared dead. The space agency confirmed Wednesday that the mission had ended after more than a decade of observations. Launched in 2013 to study the red planet’s atmosphere from orbit, Maven mysteriously fell silent in early December after passing behind Mars. Data indicated the spacecraft went into a fast spin, which disrupted its orbit and drained the onboard batteries.
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