Nasa says goodbye to its Mars orbiter after an 11-year mission
NASA has concluded its 11-year mission with the Mars orbiter Maven after it stopped transmitting data. The spacecraft, which launched in 2013, was designed to study the Martian atmosphere and its evolution. Despite efforts to regain communication, Maven was found to be unrecoverable due to unexpected rotation that drained its power.
- ▪Maven was launched in November 2013 and began orbiting Mars in 2014.
- ▪The spacecraft aimed to uncover the mystery of Mars' lost atmosphere.
- ▪NASA's review board determined that Maven was operating normally before losing communication.
Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
PremiumHome / WorldNasa says goodbye to its Mars orbiter after an 11-year missionKatrina MillerNew York Times·4 Jun, 2026 12:37 AM4 mins to readSubscribe to listenAccess to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.Subscribe nowAlready a subscriber? Sign in hereListening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.Gift articleSaveShareShare this articleReminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.Copy LinkEmailFacebookTwitter/XLinkedInRedditAn artist's concept of Nasa's Maven spacecraft, which has been orbiting Mars since 2014. Nasa has announced the end of its 11-year-plus mission after the craft stopped transmitting data.
…
Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at NZ Herald.
Discussion
0 commentsMore from NZ Herald
