NASA's MAVEN Spacecraft Loses Contact During Approaching Solar Conjunction

NASA's Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) orbiter has been unresponsive to contact attempts as the solar conjunction approaches, resulting in a temporary suspension of communication with all Mars missions until January 16, 2026. The agency last received signals from MAVEN on December 6, and recent tracking data suggests the spacecraft is tumbling with an altered orbit trajectory.

The inability to locate MAVEN complicates efforts to establish communication, whether from Earth or via other Mars orbiters and rovers. Notably, NASA's Curiosity rover's Mastcam images from December 16 and 20 failed to detect MAVEN in its reference orbit, raising concerns about the spacecraft's status.

The upcoming solar conjunction—when Mars and Earth are on opposite sides of the Sun—poses a communication blackout from December 29 through January 16. During this period, NASA cannot send commands or attempt to reestablish contact with MAVEN. Once the window closes, efforts to reconnect will resume.

The cause of MAVEN's current state remains uncertain. Typically, a spacecraft issue triggers safe mode, where systems shut down for safety, awaiting instructions. However, NASA has not confirmed MAVEN has entered safe mode, with industry insiders noting that successful communication during safe mode is usually more feasible. The fact that NASA has not been able to contact MAVEN suggests it might not be in this mode.

Significant hints point to an energetic event—such as an unexpected rotation—potentially involving guidance, navigation, and control systems, possibly due to unbalanced thrusters or issues with attitude measurements. In 2022, MAVEN experienced similar challenges when problems with its Inertial Measurement Units led it into safe mode, from which it recovered after switching to backup systems.

Despite these setbacks, MAVEN remains operational in its extended mission. Although it has not lasted as long as other Mars orbiters like NASA’s Mars Odyssey or ESA’s Mars Express, it has been orbiting Mars since September 2014. Without thruster corrections, MAVEN's orbit will eventually degrade, causing it to descend into Mars' atmosphere, with some components potentially surviving the impact.

The continued mystery surrounding MAVEN's condition underscores the challenges of interplanetary exploration, but NASA remains cautiously optimistic about reconnecting once the solar conjunction concludes.