NASA has announced the end of operations for its Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) satellite after months of unsuccessful attempts to reestablish communication. The probe’s last transmission was received on December 6, prior to its orbit taking it behind Mars.
Following its emergence on the other side of the planet, telemetry data indicated that MAVEN had switched to safe mode and was tumbling uncontrollably, leading to a loss of power. This assessment was made by a NASA review board in February.
Efforts to communicate with MAVEN since then have not succeeded. NASA officials are scheduled to hold a press briefing to discuss the mission’s conclusion on June 3 at 2 p.m. EDT (1800 GMT).
MAVEN was launched in November 2013 and entered orbit around Mars ten months later. Originally slated for a one-year mission, it was extended for an additional ten years due to its successful operations. With MAVEN’s loss, only two NASA probes remain operational in Mars orbit: Mars Odyssey, launched in 2001, and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO), which launched in 2005.
Additionally, MAVEN was part of a network of five spacecraft that provided communications relay for rovers on the Martian surface. The other active spacecraft in this network include Odyssey, MRO, Europe’s Mars Express, and the Trace Gas Orbiter.
MAVEN’s primary mission was to investigate the evolution of Mars’ atmosphere and its interactions with solar wind, contributing significant data that will benefit scientific research for years to come. “The data collected from MAVEN will continue to provide valuable insight into Mars for decades to come,” said Louise Prockter, director of NASA’s Planetary Science Division.
Source: www.space.com via Google News.
