An unexplained loss of contact with a Mars orbiter sharpens scrutiny of an interstellar object already defying expectations.
By Samuel Lopez | USA Herald – In early December, NASA confirmed that the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN spacecraft, known as MAVEN, unexpectedly ceased communications with ground stations after operating as expected in orbit around Mars. The agency stated that engineers are actively working to diagnose the anomaly and restore contact, adding that no definitive cause has yet been determined. The timing, however, has raised pointed questions within the scientific community because MAVEN had recently been operating during the window in which the interstellar object 3I/ATLAS passed through the Mars system.
MAVEN is one of three orbiters tasked with monitoring Mars’ atmosphere, focusing on how solar radiation and space weather strip gases from the planet over time. It was not designed to physically approach or interact with transient interstellar objects. Still, during its extended mission, MAVEN has repeatedly contributed data on unexpected phenomena, including solar storms, energetic particle events, and brief observational opportunities involving fast-moving bodies that cross Mars’ orbital region. One of those objects was 3I/ATLAS, now the most closely studied interstellar visitor since ‘Oumuamua.
