Perseverance

NASA has declared the Mars Maven spacecraft dead after six months of radio silence, ending a mission that studied Mars' atmosphere for over a decade. The spacecraft fell silent in December after entering a spin that drained its batteries, and a review board confirmed it is unrecoverable. Maven previously relayed data from the Curiosity and Perseverance rovers and contributed to understanding Martian atmospheric evolution.

Perseverance checks in from Mars and shares a selfie, while satellite launches contribute to mounting pollution. This week's science news also covers other recent developments. The Perseverance Mars rover is a key part of NASA's Mars Exploration Program.