Blue Origin's powerful New Glenn rocket to debut Oct. 13 with NASA Mars launch

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The rocket's inaugural flight is targeted for no earlier than Oct. 13.

a rocket on the launch pad in darkness
Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket on the pad at Launch Complex 36 (LC-36) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Feb. 21, 2024. (Image credit: Blue Origin)

The inaugural flight of Blue Origin's New Glenn heavy-lift rocket, which will send NASA's ESCAPADE mission on its way to Mars, now has a tentative launch date. 

NASA announced on Monday (Aug. 26) that the mission will launch no earlier than Oct. 13. Blue Origin's first New Glenn rocket will lift off from Space Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, debuting at last after years of delays in its development. 

An Oct. 13 launch falls within the window of opportunity for traveling to Mars, which occurs every 26 months, when Earth is properly lined up with the Red Planet to allow efficient travel.

NASA's ESCAPADE (Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers) mission consists of two probes built by Rocket Lab to study the effects of the solar wind on Mars' atmosphere. The spacecraft arrived in Florida on Aug. 18 to begin preparations for the New Glenn launch, NASA's Launch Services Program shared recently in a post on X. 

"The successful delivery of the spacecraft to Kennedy Space Center marks a significant milestone and the culmination of over three years of dedicated teamwork from individuals across the project, especially our partners at Rocket Lab," Rob Lillis, ESCAPADE principal investigator and associate director for planetary science at the UC Berkeley Space Sciences Laboratory, said in a statement from Rocket Lab. 

Related: Facts about Blue Origin, Jeff Bezos' spaceflight company

NASA's ESCAPADE (Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers) mission consists of two identical probes designed to study Mars' atmosphere. (Image credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett)
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The twin ESCAPADE spacecraft, named Blue and Gold, are designed to take simultaneous observations from different locations around Mars to identify the planet's real-time response to space weather. Specifically, the two spacecraft will measure plasma and magnetic fields around Mars to identify the processes that strip atoms from the planet's magnetosphere and upper atmosphere, which may help explain how the Red Planet's climate has changed over time, according to the statement. 

If all goes according to plan, the ESCAPADE probes will arrive in orbit around Mars in early September 2025. However, if the New Glenn rocket experiences delays that push the launch beyond the coming window, the next opportunity to head toward Mars will come in late 2026.

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Samantha Mathewson
Samantha Mathewson
Contributing Writer

Samantha Mathewson joined Space.com as an intern in the summer of 2016. She received a B.A. in Journalism and Environmental Science at the University of New Haven, in Connecticut. Previously, her work has been published in Nature World News. When not writing or reading about science, Samantha enjoys traveling to new places and taking photos! You can follow her on Twitter @Sam_Ashley13. 

3 Comments Comment from the forums
  • Miles777
    It seems quite odd to me that NASA is launching a scientific mission to Mars on the inagural flight of a brand new rocket from a company that has never ever even put a single satellite into orbit. Is this a throw-away NASA mission? Or is a desperation move to avoid using SpaceX at any cost?

    I sure hope I am greatly suprised that the first flight of such a complex and powerful rocket is completely successful, as I'd hate to see the ~$100,0000,000 of taxpayer dollars that NASA has invested in this project consumed by flames.
    Reply
  • penguin44
    Miles777 said:
    It seems quite odd to me that NASA is launching a scientific mission to Mars on the inagural flight of a brand new rocket from a company that has never ever even put a single satellite into orbit. Is this a throw-away NASA mission? Or is a desperation move to avoid using SpaceX at any cost?

    I sure hope I am greatly suprised that the first flight of such a complex and powerful rocket is completely successful, as I'd hate to see the ~$100,0000,000 of taxpayer dollars that NASA has invested in this project consumed by flames.
    Well first it's not nasa but SSL but supported by NASA. Second the mission to launch 2 sats for NASA is 79.8 million. Not a billion like you stated. These are 2 sats and only weigh 400lbs total. They are only about 2-3ft big.
    Reply
  • ChrisA
    Miles777 said:
    It seems quite odd to me that NASA is launching a scientific mission to Mars on the inagural flight of a brand new rocket from a company that has never ever even put a single satellite into orbit. Is this a throw-away NASA mission? Or is a desperation move to avoid using SpaceX at any cost?

    I sure hope I am greatly suprised that the first flight of such a complex and powerful rocket is completely successful, as I'd hate to see the ~$100,0000,000 of taxpayer dollars that NASA has invested in this project consumed by flames.
    It is a gamble. They could have placed a block of concrete on top to simulate a real spacecraft or did like SpaceX and put a sports car in there. But then they would be 100% certain of wasting the money the rocket costs. Instead, they are placing a couple of cheap real payloads in the rocket. It fails, the loss is not much more than a failed empty rocket. This is not a $4B rover they are putting at risk.

    I think this is a reasonable gamble with a possible high payoff and a contained risk if it fails.
    Reply