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science1d ago
NASA's loses contact with MAVEN Mars orbiter on the far side of the Red Planet
- NASA's MAVEN lost contact while orbiting behind Mars, a routine LOS expected to be resolved once MAVEN reappears from the far side.
- NASA said the anomaly is under investigation and more information would be shared as it becomes available.
- MAVEN, launched in 2013 on an Atlas V, studies Mars' atmosphere and helps relay data for surface rovers.
- MAVEN acts as a communications relay for rovers like Perseverance and Curiosity, supporting surface operations.
- DSN failed to reacquire a signal as MAVEN emerged from behind Mars, prompting continued ping attempts on its predicted orbit.
- NASA noted MAVEN remains under analysis and that additional updates would follow as information becomes available.
- MAVEN's mission aims to understand Mars' atmosphere evolution and interaction with solar winds.
- The incident occurred during routine operations in early December, with NASA promising updates as available.
- The MAVEN mission has supported Mars exploration for about a decade, coordinating with other orbiters to relay data.
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