The MAVEN spacecraft -- Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution -- abruptly lost contact with Earth on 6 December 2025 while passing behind the red planet in the normal course of its orbit.

When MAVEN re-emerged from behind Mars, however, NASA ground control was unable to reestablish a connection.

On December 9, the space agency announced it is investigating the issue and attempting to locate a signal.

All systems had been working normally before MAVEN passed behind Mars. ...