Overview
- New Glenn lifted off from Cape Canaveral on Nov. 13, deploying NASA’s twin ESCAPADE spacecraft and a Viasat in‑space communications demo on the upper stage.
- The first stage touched down on the sea barge Jacklyn for New Glenn’s first recovered orbital‑class booster, advancing Blue Origin’s reusability goals.
- The flight marked the rocket’s second mission and its first carrying paying customers, following a January debut that reached orbit without a booster landing.
- Launch attempts earlier in the week were scrubbed for poor local weather and elevated solar activity that raised risks for spacecraft operations.
- ESCAPADE, a low‑cost SIMPLEx mission built by Rocket Lab with UC Berkeley instruments, will study how solar wind interacts with Mars’ magnetism and contributes to atmospheric loss.