NASA formally declared the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution satellite — known as MAVEN — unrecoverable Wednesday, closing the books on a mission that spent more than 11 years orbiting Mars and transformed scientists’ understanding of how the planet lost its atmosphere. The agency announced the decision during a media teleconference, saying the spacecraft’s batteries drained after it began rotating at an unusually high rate, which prevented it from communicating with Earth after it emerged from behind the planet.
NASA’s Deep Space Network last received a transmission from MAVEN on Dec. 6, 2025, just before the satellite’s orbit took it behind Mars. Communications did not resume when the spacecraft re-emerged, NASA said. The cause of the failure that triggered the high rotation rate remains under investigation.
MAVEN launched in November 2013 on an Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida, and arrived in Mars orbit 10 months later, according to Space.com. Designed for a one-year primary mission, it operated for more than a decade, providing data on how Mars transitioned from a planet with a more Earth-like atmosphere — one that could support liquid water on its surface — to the cold, dry world it is today.
“The MAVEN mission has truly advanced our understanding of the Martian atmosphere and evolution,” said Shannon Curry, MAVEN principal investigator and a professor at the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics at the University of Colorado Boulder. “This dataset has had a tremendous impact on the field. Our science team is exceptionally proud of all of these amazing discoveries.”
Beyond its atmospheric science, MAVEN discovered new types of auroras across the planet and studied Mars’ dust storms in detail. The spacecraft also played a key role as a communications relay link for the Curiosity and Perseverance rovers on the Martian surface. NASA said the Mars Odyssey and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter remain in operation to fulfill that relay function.
Louise Prockter, director of NASA’s planetary science division, said the data MAVEN collected will continue to inform human exploration planning. “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,” Prockter said. “The data collected from MAVEN will continue to provide valuable insight into Mars for decades to come.”