New Glenn to launch NASA Mars mission this week

New Glenn to Launch NASA Mars Mission This Week

Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket is preparing for its second flight, scheduled to launch no earlier than Sunday, November 9, from Space Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. This mission marks its first operational flight carrying a NASA payload.

Mission Overview

The main payload, NASA’s ESCAPADE mission (Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers), consists of two identical small satellites built by Rocket Lab. They are part of NASA’s Small Innovative Missions for Planetary Exploration (SIMPLEx) program.

“Once they arrive at Mars, the twin spacecraft will enter complementary orbits to study the planet’s unique magnetosphere.”

The two satellites, nicknamed Blue and Gold, will work together to measure how the solar wind interacts with and erodes the Martian atmosphere. This coordinated study aims to offer a 3D view of these processes and provide insight into how Mars lost much of its ancient water.

Other Major Launches This Week

Europe will launch the Sentinel-1D Earth observation satellite.
ULA plans to send the ViaSat-3 F2 communications satellite into orbit.
Several additional missions are scheduled from SpaceX and China.

Technical Preparation

Standing at 321 feet (98 meters), the heavy-lift New Glenn recently completed a successful static fire test of its seven BE-4 engines in October, clearing the way for this important flight supporting NASA’s Mars exploration efforts.

Author’s Summary

Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket is ready for its second mission, launching NASA’s twin ESCAPADE probes to Mars to study how the solar wind affects the planet’s atmosphere.

Astronomy Magazine — 2025-11-03