NASA declares its Mars Maven spacecraft dead after 6 months of silence

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — After six months of radio silence, NASA’s Maven spacecraft at Mars has been declared dead.

The space agency confirmed Wednesday that the mission had ended after more than a decade of observations.

Launched in 2013 to study the red planet’s atmosphere from orbit, Maven mysteriously fell silent in early December after passing behind Mars. Data indicated the spacecraft went into a fast spin, which disrupted its orbit and drained the onboard batteries.

This image, provided by NASA, shows four-in-one photos of Mars taken by NASA’s Maven spacecraft, which has been orbiting the red planet since 2014. NASA via AP

A review board convened by NASA earlier this year concluded that the spacecraft is useless and unable to be recovered. An investigation continues into what caused the problem.

Besides studying Martian weather and observing a stray interstellar comet last year, Maven helped relay information from NASA’s Curiosity and Perseverance rovers on the surface.

An AtlasV rocket, carrying the Maven spacecraft, blasts off at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., on Monday, Nov. 18, 2013. Tribune News Service via Getty Images

Maven’s lead scientist, Shannon Curry of the University of Colorado Boulder, said the spacecraft made a number of “amazing discoveries.”

Maven “has truly advanced our understanding of the Martian atmosphere and evolution,” she said in a statement.