Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket is ready for its second launch. Recently positioned upright at Launch Complex-36A in Cape Canaveral, Florida, it is set to carry NASA’s ESCAPADE probes to Mars. The launch date is tentatively scheduled for November 9.
The journey began when New Glenn was moved to the launch pad on October 28 and stood upright by October 29. Blue Origin’s CEO, Dave Limp, shared a video showing the rocket being raised and announced that a hot-fire test would follow once everything was secure.
On October 30, New Glenn successfully completed a hot-fire test where its seven BE-4 engines fired up as intended. Jeff Bezos, founder of Blue Origin, shared a video of the test online. Blue Origin confirmed that all engines performed well during the 38-second duration, achieving full thrust for 22 seconds.
The ESCAPADE mission is significant for both NASA and Blue Origin. These probes were integrated onto New Glenn earlier this month. Their mission is to orbit Mars and study its magnetosphere, focusing on how solar wind interacts with the Martian atmosphere.
Interestingly, the ESCAPADE probes were initially supposed to be part of the first New Glenn launch set for 2024. However, NASA decided to delay their launch due to concerns about using an untested rocket. Instead, the first launch took place in January 2025, successfully sending a test version of Blue Origin’s spacecraft into orbit.
The ESCAPADE mission, valued at $80 million, is especially noteworthy as it marks NASA’s first journey to Mars since the Perseverance rover’s launch in July 2020 and New Glenn’s first interplanetary launch.
Blue Origin aims to recover the first stage of the New Glenn rocket after the launch by landing it on a barge in the Atlantic Ocean. The first stage had a challenging landing attempt during its inaugural launch.
In addition to the ESCAPADE mission, satellite communications company Viasat will also launch a technology demonstration as a secondary payload, part of NASA’s Communications Services Project aimed at fostering partnerships for satellite networking.
Space exploration continues to captivate people worldwide. As these missions unfold, they remind us of the incredible advancements in technology and the ongoing quest to uncover the mysteries of our universe.
