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Blue Origin is preparing to launch NASA’s Mars-bound ESCAPADE mission on November 9, 2025. The mission will deploy two satellites, known as Blue and Gold, along with a communications demonstration payload for Viasat. The launch is set to occur from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station using Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket, which stands at 321 feet (98 meters) tall.
The liftoff is scheduled for a window opening at 14:45 EST (19:45 UTC), with a favorable weather forecast initially predicting a 65 percent chance of success, decreasing to 55 percent as the window progresses. Meteorologists have highlighted potential challenges, including cumulus clouds and thunderstorms, due to an approaching cold front.
The New Glenn rocket will undertake a south-easterly trajectory after its launch from Launch Complex 36. This mission marks the second flight of the New Glenn rocket, following its inaugural launch in January 2025. During this mission, Blue Origin aims to successfully land its first stage booster, named ‘Never Tell Me the Odds,’ on the autonomous barge Jacklyn.
In preparation for the launch, the two ESCAPADE spacecraft were encapsulated within the rocket’s 23-foot-diameter (7 meters) payload fairings on October 31. Blue Origin plans to perform two burns of the BE-3U engines on the rocket’s upper stage before deploying the satellites approximately 33 minutes after liftoff.
NASA’s Launch Services Program at Kennedy Space Center coordinated the launch, which falls under the agency’s Venture-Class Acquisition of Dedicated and Rideshare (VADR) contract. This contract has a maximum total value of $300 million over a five-year period. Initially, the ESCAPADE mission was scheduled to launch in late 2024 but was postponed due to delays in the New Glenn rocket’s readiness.
Understanding the ESCAPADE Mission
NASA’s ESCAPADE mission, led by the Goddard Space Flight Center and the University of California, Berkeley, aims to explore Mars’ magnetosphere and its interaction with space weather. This research could significantly enhance our understanding of Mars’ climatological history and its atmospheric loss.
Joseph Westlake, NASA’s Heliophysics Director, expressed enthusiasm for the mission, stating, “We’re really excited to see Heliophysics’ first mission to Mars and deliver space weather information that will aid humanity as we expand into the cosmos.”
The ESCAPADE mission evolved from an initial concept proposal in October 2016, known as the Mars Ion and Sputtering Escape Network (MISEN), to its current form in July 2018. Selected as one of three finalists under NASA’s Small, Innovative Missions for Planetary Exploration (SIMPLEx) program, the mission is characterized by its lower budget, shorter timeline, and higher risk tolerance.
Rocket Lab played a crucial role in developing the twin spacecraft, which were built on their Explorer satellite bus. Christophe Mandy from Rocket Lab emphasized the accelerated timeline, stating, “We had three-and-a-half years to make two satellites to go to Mars. A typical timeline for a Mars mission is a decade.”
The two spacecraft, Blue and Gold, are designed for deep space exploration and are equipped with advanced avionics. They will spend approximately one year in Earth orbit before embarking on a ten-month journey to Mars, with the intended Mars orbit insertion burn scheduled for September 2027.
The scientific mission is planned to last from June 2028 until May 2029, during which the twin satellites will conduct critical studies of Martian atmospheric phenomena. As the launch date approaches, the anticipation for this significant step in space exploration continues to build.
