Fresh from capturing image of 3I/ATLAS, NASA’s MAVEN suffers “anomaly” and is no longer communicating with Earth. Following the anomaly the spacecraft is no longer communicating with Earth, and NASA isn’t sure why.
NASA has lost contact with the Maven spacecraft, which has been orbiting Mars for over a decade. The agency last heard from the orbiter on December 6 as it passed behind the Red Planet. When Maven was expected to re-establish contact, it remained silent. All systems were functioning normally prior to the loss of communication, according to telemetry data.
The spacecraft has been critical in studying how Mars lost its atmosphere and water over millions of years. Maven has mapped Martian winds, classified clouds, and discovered an invisible magnetic ‘tail’. Recently, its equipment was used to image the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS as it passed Mars in September.
This unexpected disappearance has sparked online conspiracy theories. Some social media users speculate about extraterrestrial intervention, with one writing, “There could be a number of reasons… including intercession by an Extraterrestrial Alien Spacecraft.” NASA scientists do not yet know the cause and are investigating if communications can be restored.
If contact is not regained, it would end over ten years of critical scientific work. The agency stated, “The spacecraft and operations teams are investigating the anomaly to address the situation.” Maven launched in 2013 and was equipped to study Mars’s upper atmosphere and its interactions with solar wind.