Orbiter

• Relativity Space has announced plans to develop and launch a private Mars orbiter mission scheduled for 2028. • This initiative marks a strategic shift for the company as it moves toward privately developing complex planetary missions. • The project demonstrates a growing trend of commercial aerospace firms expanding their capabilities beyond Earth's orbit to explore deep space.

• NASA has officially declared the MAVEN Mars orbiter dead after 12 years of productive operation studying the Red Planet's atmosphere. • The spacecraft remains in a stable orbit, though it is no longer functional and will eventually crash into the Martian surface within the next 100 years. • This mission conclusion adds to the "Mars morgue" of previous probes, highlighting the long-term lifecycle and eventual disposal of deep-space hardware.

• NASA has officially declared the MAVEN Mars orbiter dead after the spacecraft suffered a critical anomaly. • The decision follows several months of radio silence and unsuccessful attempts to re-establish contact with the probe. • MAVEN's mission was vital for studying the Martian upper atmosphere and understanding how the planet lost its water and atmosphere over time.