Well. . . Mars has just now gracefully moved, floating -- this morning, from out behind our home star -- relative to Earth's vantage point. But if the tumble of MAVEN has resulted in less than complete charging via solar cells, the craft may already be dead stick, without electric juice.
There is no update from Goddard, so we may assume that so far, the tumbling spacecraft is 404 -- off grid, thus (from December 15, 2025):
. . .Although no spacecraft telemetry has been received since Dec. 4, the team recovered a brief fragment of tracking data from Dec. 6 as part of an ongoing radio science campaign. Analysis of that signal suggests that the MAVEN spacecraft was rotating in an unexpected manner when it emerged from behind Mars.
Further, the frequency of the tracking signal suggests MAVEN’s orbit trajectory may have changed. The team continues to analyze tracking data to understand the most likely scenarios leading to the loss of signal. Efforts to reestablish contact with MAVEN also continue. . . .
Here's to hoping -- but the realist in me accepts that this excellent, long serving spacecraft is at end of mission.
नमस्ते
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