NASA, Blue Origin Prepare for Mars Explorer Mission Rocket Launch from Kennedy Space Center

Blue Origin targeting later this fall for the launch

BREVARD COUNTY • KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLORIDA – NASA and Blue Origin are preparing for the launch of the agency’s ESCAPADE: Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers mission.

The twin ESCAPADE spacecraft will study the solar wind’s interaction with Mars, providing insight into the planet’s real-time response to space weather and how solar activity drives atmospheric escape.

This will be the second launch of Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket.

Blue Origin is targeting later this fall for the launch of New Glenn’s second mission known as NG-2 from Space Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

Once a specific launch date is targeted, NASA and Blue Origin will communicate additional details regarding the event schedule.

NASA will post updates on launch preparations for the twin Martian orbiters on the ESCAPADE blog..

The ESCAPADE mission is part of the NASA Small Innovative Missions for Planetary Exploration program and is funded by the agency’s Heliophysics Division.

The mission is led by the University of California, Berkeley Space Sciences Laboratory, and Rocket Lab designed the spacecraft.

The agency’s Launch Services Program, based at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, secured launch services under the VADR, Venture-class Acquisition of Dedicated and Rideshare contract.

Learn more about ESCAPADE.

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