Blue Origin achieved a successful launch of its large New Glenn rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, deploying two NASA spacecraft for a mission to Mars. In a post on X, Blue Origin stated, “New Glenn has successfully completed its second mission by deploying @NASA’s ESCAPADE twin spacecraft, powering on and transmitting data for @Viasat’s HaloNet technology demonstration, and landing the fully reusable first stage on Jacklyn.”
The 321-foot (98-metre) rocket successfully transported the twin orbiters, referred to as Escapade, on an extended journey towards the red planet. After the booster separation, Blue Origin accomplished a significant milestone by retrieving the booster on a barge located 375 miles offshore with company employees celebrating the achievement. The liftoff experienced a delay of four days due to adverse weather conditions and severe solar storms, which illuminated the skies with auroras visible as far south as Florida. Twenty minutes post-launch, the rocket’s upper stage successfully deployed the Mars orbiters, fulfilling the mission’s primary goal. “Next stop, moon!” employees enthusiastically chanted following the booster’s precise landing, as congratulations flowed in from NASA officials and SpaceX’s Elon Musk. The identical orbiters are set to spend one year in proximity to Earth, at a distance of 1 million miles (1.5 million kilometers). When Earth and Mars align in the upcoming fall, they will utilize a gravity assist to reach Mars by 2027. Upon entering orbit, they will conduct mapping of Mars’s upper atmosphere and magnetic fields, as well as examine their interaction with the solar wind. Scientists anticipate that these observations will provide insights into how Mars’s atmosphere has dissipated and will aid in developing radiation protection for future astronauts. “We genuinely desire to enhance our understanding of the solar wind’s interaction with Mars beyond our current knowledge,” stated Escapade’s lead scientist, Rob Lillis from the University of California, Berkeley, prior to the launch. “Escapade is set to provide an unparalleled stereo perspective as we will have two spacecraft operating simultaneously.” This low-cost mission, overseen and executed by UC Berkeley, was completed for less than $80 million. NASA managed to lower expenses by securing an early flight on the New Glenn rocket. The orbiters were initially scheduled for launch last autumn, but NASA opted to forgo that opportunity due to expected delays with Blue Origin’s new rocket. Named in honor of John Glenn, the first American to orbit the Earth, New Glenn is five times the size of Blue Origin’s New Shepard vehicles. The company intends to launch a prototype of the Blue Moon lunar lander on New Glenn in the upcoming months. Established in 2000 by Jeff Bezos, Blue Origin has already secured a NASA contract for the third crewed moon landing as part of the Artemis program. SpaceX has been awarded contracts for the first two crewed landings using its taller Starship rockets. Last month, NASA’s acting administrator Sean Duffy reopened the contract for the first crewed moon landing, citing worries regarding the pace of Starship’s flight tests. Both Blue Origin and SpaceX have since proposed expedited landing plans. NASA is on schedule to send astronauts around the moon early next year aboard its Space Launch System rocket, with the next Artemis crew aiming to land by the end of the decade to outpace China in returning to the lunar surface.
