**NASA and Blue Origin Postpone ESCAPADE Mars Mission Due to New Glenn Rocket Preparations**
NASA alongside Blue Origin has officially declared a postponement of the eagerly awaited ESCAPADE mission to Mars, which was initially set for launch in mid-October 2024. The launch is now rescheduled for no earlier than spring 2025, as Blue Origin continues to ready its New Glenn rocket for its inaugural flight, a crucial step for the venture initiated by Amazon’s Jeff Bezos.
### The ESCAPADE Mission: A Quick Overview
ESCAPADE, which signifies Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers, is a NASA initiative aimed at examining the Martian magnetosphere. This mission involves two small spacecraft that will orbit Mars to study the interaction of solar wind with the planet’s atmosphere. Collecting this information is vital for understanding the processes through which Mars has lost a significant portion of its atmosphere over time, which has implications for future human missions to the Red Planet.
Management of the mission is entrusted to the Space Sciences Laboratory at the University of California, Berkeley, and it was expected to be one of the inaugural payloads aboard Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket. However, the challenges related to the rocket’s preparation have necessitated a delay in the mission.
### Cause of the Delay
The choice to postpone the launch was influenced by a critical timeframe to initiate the loading of hypergolic propellant—fuel that ignites upon contact with an oxidizer—into the ESCAPADE spacecraft. Although it is technically feasible to defer this type of fuel for a subsequent launch, such a move would pose substantial risks to the spacecraft. Confronted with this critical choice, NASA decided to forego the October launch period instead of advancing with the fueling process.
While the ESCAPADE spacecraft were otherwise primed for launch, the readiness of the New Glenn rocket was less assured. Blue Origin failed to meet a significant target of completing a hot fire test of the rocket’s upper stage by the end of August, leading NASA to delay the spacecraft’s fueling. As the Mars launch window approached its October closure, NASA resolved to wait until at least spring 2025 for refueling and the mission’s launch.
### The New Glenn Rocket: Developments and Obstacles
New Glenn, Blue Origin’s heavy-lift orbital rocket, is integral to the company’s future aspirations for space exploration and commercial launches. The rocket is designed for reusability, featuring a first stage capable of returning to Earth for refurbishment, similar to SpaceX’s Falcon 9. Nevertheless, New Glenn is significantly larger, designed to carry heftier payloads into orbit.
Despite the postponement of the ESCAPADE mission, Blue Origin has made significant strides with the New Glenn rocket in recent months. The rocket’s second stage was successfully transported to the launch site at Launch Complex-36 in Florida earlier this week. Blue Origin is now aiming for a hot fire test of the second stage on September 9, 2024, an essential procedure for confirming the rocket’s operational capabilities.
In parallel, preparations for the first stage of the rocket are also approaching completion. All seven BE-7 engines, powering the first stage, have arrived at the launch site after passing acceptance testing, and engineers are diligently attaching these engines to the rocket.
### Shifting to a New Mission
With the ESCAPADE mission’s postponement, Blue Origin will now concentrate on launching a prototype of its Blue Ring transfer vehicle during the inaugural flight of New Glenn, projected for the early part of November 2024. This test flight will serve various functions: it will verify the rocket’s electronics, avionics, and other systems, and it will also be the first of three certification flights needed for New Glenn to qualify for carrying national security payloads for the U.S. Space Force.
### Urgency at Blue Origin
The delay of the ESCAPADE mission arises during a period when Blue Origin is facing mounting pressure to successfully launch New Glenn. Almost a year ago, Jeff Bezos appointed Dave Limp, a former Amazon executive, as the new CEO of Blue Origin, with a directive to expedite the company’s development, especially in preparing New Glenn for its initial launch.
In an internal communication to Blue Origin staff, Limp highlighted the seriousness of the scenario, affirming, “We can’t let up on the accelerator here. Everyone’s contributions toward achieving the NG-1 flight this year are vital, and I am truly grateful for everyone’s unwavering commitment to making this happen.”
### What Lies Ahead for ESCAPADE?
Although the postponement is disappointing, it does not signify the end for the ESCAPADE mission. NASA and Blue Origin are now exploring possible launch windows in spring 2025. Even though Mars launch windows—periods when the planets optimally align for interplanetary travel—occur roughly every 18 to 24 months, complex trajectories could still permit a payload launched in spring 2025 to reach Mars.
Nonetheless, if additional delays arise, NASA and
