• Source:JND
Add as a preferred

Jeff Bezos’ space company Blue Origin is set to launch its massive New Glenn rocket on Monday from Florida’s Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, marking its first-ever NASA mission. The mission, titled “ESCAPADE” (Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers), will send two spacecraft towards Mars to study how the solar wind interacts with the planet’s thin atmosphere.

This launch, if successful, will be a major milestone for Blue Origin, which has long trailed rival Elon Musk’s SpaceX in the commercial space race. The New Glenn rocket stands 322 feet tall and is designed to be partially reusable, with the first-stage booster intended to land on a recovery barge in the Atlantic Ocean.

NASA’s ESCAPADE Mission

The ESCAPADE mission, managed by the University of California, Berkeley, in partnership with Rocket Lab, will deploy two identical probes nicknamed Blue and Gold—a nod to Berkeley’s school colors. The mission’s cost, estimated at under USD 80 million, makes it one of NASA’s most affordable planetary science ventures.

Both spacecraft will first orbit around Earth’s Lagrange Point 2 (L2), a gravitationally stable zone about 1.5 million kilometers away—to study space weather for a year. They are then expected to slingshot towards Mars in late 2026, eventually entering orbit around the Red Planet in 2027.

This will be New Glenn’s second launch overall, after its January debut, when the rocket successfully reached orbit but failed to recover its booster due to engine reignition issues. Blue Origin CEO Dave Limp has said the company plans six to eight launches in 2025, as it works to clear a USD 10 billion backlog of satellite and spacecraft contracts.

Laura Maginnis, Blue Origin’s Vice President for Mission Management, confirmed that several improvements had been made to the rocket’s propellant management and landing systems following January’s test flight. “We’ve learned from the first mission. Our goal is to land that booster this time, but even if we don’t, the mission’s success comes first,” she told reporters.

Weather And Government Shutdown Concerns

Weather could still play spoiler, with a 35–45 per cent chance of unfavorable conditions forecast for Sunday’s launch window. Additionally, a partial US government shutdown has delayed NASA’s involvement in pre-launch operations.

ALSO READ: Japan’s 3I/ATLAS Image Sparks Alien Origins Buzz Over Mysterious Interstellar Comet: Here’s What We Know

Despite the hurdles, anticipation remains high. Blue Origin will livestream the event starting at 2:00 pm ET (12:30 am IST) on its official website and X handle.

For Bezos’ company, a successful mission could reestablish its credibility against SpaceX’s Falcon 9, the world’s most frequently used rocket. While SpaceX continues to dominate orbital launches, Blue Origin hopes that New Glenn’s reusability and heavy-lift capabilities will make it a viable competitor in NASA and commercial missions.

ALSO READ: Earth Getting Darker? New NASA Study Finds Planet’s Energy System Is ‘Out Of Balance’ As Earth Heats Unevenly

If the ESCAPADE mission reaches orbit as planned, it will be the first Mars-bound launch in over five years, since NASA’s Perseverance rover and Ingenuity helicopter took off in 2020.

Also In News