Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) Spacecraft
Kartavya Desk Staff
Source: TH
Subject: Science and Technology
Context: NASA has lost contact with the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) spacecraft after it went silent in early December 2025 following a routine communication blackout.
About Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) Spacecraft:
What it is?
• MAVEN is a NASA Mars orbiter mission dedicated to studying the upper atmosphere, ionosphere, and atmospheric escape processes of Mars to understand how the planet transformed from a warm, wet world to a cold, dry one.
Launched in: November 18, 2013
• Determine how and how fast Mars lost its atmosphere to space.
• Understand the role of the Sun and solar wind in driving atmospheric escape.
• Support surface missions through data relay services.
Key features of MAVEN:
• Orbiter mission: MAVEN follows an elliptical orbit that samples multiple altitudes, allowing scientists to observe daily, seasonal, and solar-driven atmospheric changes.
• Upper-atmosphere focus: The mission studies neutral gases, charged ions, solar wind, and magnetic fields, directly targeting the region where atmospheric escape occurs.
• Eight scientific instruments: MAVEN carries eight specialised payloads, including mass spectrometers and plasma sensors, designed for detailed atmospheric diagnostics.
• Imaging Ultraviolet Spectrograph (IUVS): Though MAVEN lacks a conventional camera, IUVS maps the global structure and composition of Mars’ upper atmosphere in ultraviolet light.
• Communications relay role: MAVEN functions as an interplanetary relay satellite, transmitting data from rovers like Curiosity and Perseverance back to Earth.
• Highly elliptical orbit: Its orbit allows close passes through the upper atmosphere and distant observations, enabling vertical profiling of atmospheric processes.
Major discoveries and contributions:
• Atmospheric loss quantified: MAVEN confirmed that solar wind stripping has been a dominant mechanism removing Mars’ atmosphere over billions of years.
• Water loss pathways identified: The mission showed how water vapour breaks into hydrogen and oxygen, with lightweight hydrogen escaping irreversibly to space.
• Impact of solar storms: MAVEN observed that solar flares and coronal mass ejections sharply increase atmospheric escape rates during extreme space-weather events.