NASA's MAVEN spacecraft, after 11 years studying Mars, went silent during a routine occultation in December 2023. Engineers tried for months to restore contact with the Mars orbiter, which disappeared behind the planet and never re-established communication. The spacecraft was spinning at 2.7 revolutions per minute, preventing its solar arrays from pointing toward the Sun, likely draining its batteries.

MAVEN far exceeded its original mission lifespan, providing crucial data on atmospheric escape processes and solar storm impacts on Mars. The spacecraft captured images of glowing auroras across the planet and observed "sputtering" - charged particles crashing into the upper atmosphere. MAVEN helped scientists understand how Mars lost much of its atmosphere over billions of years.

The spacecraft also served as a vital relay for NASA's Mars rovers, accounting for nearly 18% of all data returned from the planet. While the remaining Mars relay network can handle current needs, the loss of MAVEN adds minor delays in receiving science data. The spacecraft will remain in its elliptical orbit around Mars for 50 to 100 years before naturally falling into the Martian atmosphere, ending its scientific contribution.