NASA declares its Mars Maven spacecraft dead after about six months of radio silence, according to multiple outlets. The spacecraft has been orbiting Mars as part of NASA’s Mars exploration efforts for more than a decade. After losing contact, NASA waits before formally concluding that the mission can no longer be recovered, and it confirms the end of the mission in its update. Sources also describe Maven’s role beyond its long-term observation duties. During the mission, Maven has been used to study Mars’ atmosphere and weather and has made observations that include a previously reported encounter with a stray interstellar comet. In addition, Maven has helped relay data from NASA’s surface rovers, including Curiosity and Perseverance, sending information back through its communications capabilities. With the spacecraft no longer responding, NASA’s mission operations treat Maven as permanently nonfunctional. The reported timeline centers on the period of silence and NASA’s subsequent confirmation that the mission has ended after years of collecting observations from Mars orbit.