After three months
in safe mode, NASA’s MAVEN spacecraft has finally returned to normal science and relay operations.
The problem started
back on February 22, 2022, when contact with the spacecraft was lost.
NASA’s Mars Atmosphere and
Volatile EvolutioN, or MAVEN, mission returned to normal science after recovering from an extended safe mode event.
The spacecraft encountered
problems in February with its Inertial Measurement Units
The mission team
successfully diagnosed the issue with these navigation instruments
Also developed a system for
the spacecraft to navigate by the stars, which should allow for continued MAVEN mission operations through the next decade.