NASA Retires MAVEN After More Than a Decade Studying Mars’ Atmosphere Written 4 June 2026
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Artist concept of NASA Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) spacecraft near Mars. | Credit: NASA
The New York Times reports, “On Wednesday, NASA announced the end of a more than 11-year mission aimed at solving a key mystery about Mars: What happened to the air that once made the planet habitable? The NASA spacecraft MAVEN, short for Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution, had been orbiting around the Red Planet since 2014. NASA last received a signal from MAVEN on Dec. 6, shortly before the spacecraft passed behind Mars.”
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