NASA Loses Contact with MAVEN

United States — NASA has lost contact with its MAVEN (MAVEN) spacecraft, which has been orbiting Mars for over a decade. The MAVEN spacecraft abruptly stopped communicating with ground stations on December 6, 2025, after passing behind Mars. Before the communication loss, all systems were reported to be working normally. Launched in 2013, MAVEN reached Mars in 2014 and has been instrumental in studying the upper Martian atmosphere and its interaction with the solar wind, helping scientists understand how Mars transformed from a wet, warm planet to its current dry, cold state. MAVEN also served a critical role as a communication relay for United States — NASA's two active Mars rovers, Curiosity (rover) and Perseverance (rover). Engineering investigations are currently underway by United States — NASA to reestablish contact and understand the cause of the anomaly. United States — NASA still has two other active spacecraft orbiting Mars: Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and 2001 Mars Odyssey.