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NASA • Jessica Taveau

NASA declares MAVEN Mars orbiter lost after six months of silence, ending the $582M, 11-year atmosphere study mission

NASA has declared its Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) orbiter dead after months of lost contact following an anomaly on the far side of Mars in late 2025. The $582 million spacecraft—launched in 2013 to study Martian atmospheric evolution—could not be recovered and its mission has ended.

2026-06-03T06:57:22.628694-07:00

SpaceWatch Global

Venturi Space commits €250M for a new 16,000 m² Toulouse technology center to develop lunar/Mars mobility systems and assemble i

2026-06-02T00:41:57.780683-07:00

Space.com

NASA rotorcraft testing pushes toward Mach-breaking performance for future Mars helicopters

2026-05-17T08:06:18.242266-07:00

Universe Today

Mars fungi research points to bioprocessing regolith into fertile growing media for early settlements

2026-05-22T20:05:43.672239-07:00

News Timeline

NASA

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NASA declares MAVEN Mars orbiter lost after six months of silence, ending the $582M, 11-year atmosphere study mission NASA has declared its Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) orbiter dead after months of lost contact following an anomaly on the far side of Mars in late 2025. The $582 million spacecraft—launched in 2013 to study Martian atmospheric evolution—could not be recovered and its mission has ended.

2026-06-03T06:57:22.628694-07:00

NASA declares MAVEN Mars orbiter lost after six months of silence, ending the $582M, 11-year atmosphere study mission

SpaceWatch Global

❗️

Venturi Space commits €250M for a new 16,000 m² Toulouse technology center to develop lunar/Mars mobility systems and assemble i Venturi Space plans a €250 million investment in France to build a 16,000 sq m technology center in Toulouse dedicated to designing and manufacturing critical technologies for lunar and Martian mobility. The facility will also serve as a production hub to assemble the company’s rovers.

2026-06-02T00:41:57.780683-07:00

Venturi Space commits €250M for a new 16,000 m² Toulouse technology center to develop lunar/Mars mobility systems and assemble i

Universe Today

Mars fungi research points to bioprocessing regolith into fertile growing media for early settlements A study on “Mars fungi” explores how Earth microbes could be used to make Martian regolith more suitable for growing food crops. The concept centers on using fungal action to condition the soil substrate so it can support a first self-sustaining harvest in a settlement scenario.

2026-05-22T20:05:43.672239-07:00

Mars fungi research points to bioprocessing regolith into fertile growing media for early settlements

Space.com

NASA rotorcraft testing pushes toward Mach-breaking performance for future Mars helicopters NASA is conducting tests on a next-generation Mars helicopter rotor designed to operate in the Red Planet’s thin atmosphere, with current work focused on pushing the rotor to break the sound barrier. The latest milestone is being showcased in a new video as NASA advances Mars rotorcraft development.

2026-05-17T08:06:18.242266-07:00

NASA rotorcraft testing pushes toward Mach-breaking performance for future Mars helicopters

Universe Today

Data fusion enables high-definition Martian temperature maps to support ISRU planning for future bases The cluster focuses on using data fusion to produce high-definition maps of Mars temperatures, improving how teams interpret local conditions for In-situ Resource Utilization (ISRU). The aim is to make “living off the land” more practical by narrowing where future missions should search for and characterize usable resources.

2026-05-06T10:18:58.838406-07:00

Data fusion enables high-definition Martian temperature maps to support ISRU planning for future bases

Universe Today

Designing in-situ power stations to power future Mars missions The article focuses on how in-situ power stations could be designed to generate and manage power using resources available on Mars, supporting sustained operations within future human Mars habitats. The concept is framed around reducing reliance on Earth-supplied energy and enabling mission endurance through locally derived power.

2026-04-28T20:23:46.941526-07:00

Designing in-situ power stations to power future Mars missions

Space.com

Japan’s MMX mission to Mars’ moon Phobos reaches launch pad ahead of 2031 sample return JAXA’s Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) has arrived at the launch pad for its Phobos sample-return mission. The complex endeavor targets return of Phobos material to Earth in 2031, aiming to clarify the origins of Mars’ two small moons, Phobos and Deimos.

2026-04-23T06:06:00.960977-07:00

Japan’s MMX mission to Mars’ moon Phobos reaches launch pad ahead of 2031 sample return

Space.com

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Curiosity rover finds its most diverse suite yet of organic molecules on Mars, including new detections from Glen Torridon clay- NASA’s Curiosity has identified more than 20 organic molecules from clay-bearing sandstones in Gale Crater’s Glen Torridon using its Sample Analysis at Mars suite. Three drill samples taken during the rover’s work there returned diverse organics, including some never seen before, deepening the astrobiology case while not proving life.

2026-04-21T04:25:36.472414-07:00

Curiosity rover finds its most diverse suite yet of organic molecules on Mars, including new detections from Glen Torridon clay-

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Mars News

NASA declares MAVEN Mars orbiter lost after six months of silence, ending the $582M, 11-year atmosphere study mission

Venturi Space commits €250M for a new 16,000 m² Toulouse technology center to develop lunar/Mars mobility systems and assemble i

NASA rotorcraft testing pushes toward Mach-breaking performance for future Mars helicopters

Mars fungi research points to bioprocessing regolith into fertile growing media for early settlements

News Timeline