Cape Canaveral, Florida – After six months of radio silence NASA’s MAVEN spacecraft On Mars, his death was announced.
The space agency confirmed on Wednesday that Mission accomplished After more than a decade of observations.
It was launched in 2013 to study the atmosphere of the red planet from its orbit. Veteran It mysteriously fell silent in early December after passing behind Mars. Data indicate that the spacecraft rotated rapidly, disrupting its orbit and depleting the batteries on board.
A review panel convened by NASA earlier this year concluded that the spacecraft was useless and unrecoverable. The investigation into the cause of the problem continues.
Besides studying Martian weather and observing a stray interstellar comet last year, MAVEN helped relay information from NASA’s Curiosity and Perseverance rovers to the surface.
MAVEN chief scientist Shannon Curry of the University of Colorado Boulder said the spacecraft has made a number of “amazing discoveries.”
MAVEN “has truly advanced our understanding of the Martian atmosphere and its evolution,” she said in a statement.
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