NASA Delays ESCAPADE to 2025, Blue Origin Moves New Glenn Blue Ring Mission Up To November

NASA has postponed the highly anticipated ESCAPADE mission (Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers), originally slated for an October 2024, to no earlier than spring 2025; delaying the inaugural test flight of Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket

NASA’s Decision and Collaborative Review

The decision to delay the launch came after careful consideration and discussions between NASA, Blue Origin (the launch provider), the Federal Aviation Administration, Space Launch Delta 45 Range Safety Organization, NASA's Launch Services Program, and the Science Mission Directorate.

NASA decided to forego the current October launch window to mitigate risks, including the possibility of needing to remove fuel from the spacecraft in case of a delay. Such steps would introduce significant cost and schedule challenges.

“This mission can help us study the atmosphere at Mars — key information as we explore farther and farther into our solar system and need to protect astronauts and spacecraft from space weather. We’re committed to seeing ESCAPADE safely into space, and I look forward to seeing it off the ground and on its trip to Mars.” - Nicky Fox, Associate Administrator for Science at NASA Headquarters in Washington

The specific alignment of Earth and Mars restricts the available windows for launching the mission to the Red Planet, making delays inevitable if schedules are adjusted even slightly. However, NASA’s team is working to identify additional planetary window opportunities, ensuring that the ESCAPADE mission can proceed as soon as feasible.

“This is an important mission for NASA, and it’s critical we have sufficient margin in our prelaunch work to ensure we are ready to fly a tight planetary window.” - Bradley Smith, NASA’s Launch Services Office Director

The ESCAPADE Mission

The ESCAPADE mission, designed to study Mars’ atmospheric escape and solar wind interactions, will utilize two identical spacecraft to investigate how the solar wind affects Mars’ magnetic environment—a key factor in understanding the planet's habitability and potential for human exploration.

Once launched, ESCAPADE will play a crucial role in expanding our understanding of Mars’ atmosphere and its interactions with the solar wind. These twin spacecraft, part of NASA’s Heliophysics Division, are designed to map how solar particles impact the Martian atmosphere and drive atmospheric escape, an essential factor in the planet’s climate evolution.

Led by the University of California, Berkeley’s Space Sciences Laboratory, the ESCAPADE mission falls under NASA’s Small Innovative Missions for Planetary Exploration (SIMPLEx) program. Other key partners include Rocket Lab, NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, and Advanced Space LLC.

Blue Origin's Upcoming New Glenn Flight

As part of the launch partnership, Blue Origin is at the forefront of this mission, planning to use its New Glenn rocket to carry the ESCAPADE spacecraft.

While the mission is postponed, Blue Origin is pushing forward with preparations, planning to move up New Glenn’s second flight from December to November. This flight will be a landmark event, marking New Glenn’s first National Security Space Launch certification flight and will feature the company’s innovative Blue Ring technology.

“We’re supportive of NASA’s decision to target the ESCAPADE mission for no earlier than spring 2025 and look forward to the flight. We plan to move up New Glenn’s second flight, originally scheduled for December, into November. New Glenn will carry Blue Ring technology and mark our first National Security Space Launch certification flight. We’ll provide more details on these launch plans in the coming weeks.”

The Blue Ring technology is expected to be a versatile addition to New Glenn’s payload capabilities, supporting missions from medium Earth orbit to the cislunar region. With its advanced delta-V capabilities, Blue Ring will offer customers the flexibility to maneuver and access critical data, ensuring mission success.

As NASA delays ESCAPADE to early 2025, all eyes shift to Blue Origin's Blue Ring Mission.