NASA's MAVEN spacecraft ends 11-year Mars mission after losing contact

NASA has officially declared the end of its MAVEN spacecraft's mission after the probe spent 11 years orbiting Mars, AP and AFP reported Wednesday.

The space agency said it had lost contact with MAVEN more than six months ago and confirmed the spacecraft's mission was over.

MAVEN went silent in December last year while passing behind Mars.

NASA analyzed the available data and determined that the spacecraft had begun spinning rapidly, developing problems maintaining its orbit, and that its battery had drained.

Earlier this year, NASA convened a review board that concluded the spacecraft could no longer be operated and could not be recovered.

MAVEN is expected to remain in orbit for another 50 to 100 years before eventually crashing into Mars.

Launched in 2013, MAVEN entered Mars orbit the following year and went on to study the Martian atmosphere while relaying data collected by the Curiosity and Perseverance rovers back to Earth.

The spacecraft was originally designed to operate for just one to two years after launch but far outlasted that projection.

NASA said the gap left by MAVEN would be filled by two American and two European satellites currently orbiting Mars, adding that no data from the rovers would be lost.

Shannon Curry, the lead scientist for the MAVEN team, said the spacecraft had advanced scientists' understanding of the Martian atmosphere and its evolution.

"The team is heartbroken, but we feel an immense sense of pride in the science we've accomplished over more than a decade," Curry added.