Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Blue Origin Sets Second New Glenn Launch to Send NASA’s ESCAPADE Toward Mars

The flight serves as a pivotal test of booster reuse that weighs on Space Force certification prospects.

Overview

  • The FAA listed a Friday launch window from 2:51–4:50 p.m. ET at Cape Canaveral’s LC-36 with a Saturday backup for New Glenn’s second flight carrying NASA’s twin ESCAPADE probes.
  • Blue Origin completed an on-pad static fire on Oct. 30, firing all seven BE-4 engines for 38 seconds and extending the run to simulate the landing-burn sequence.
  • The company will attempt a barge landing on Jacklyn using a new booster named “Never Tell Me the Odds” after an FAA investigation found the debut booster failed to relight during descent.
  • ESCAPADE’s “Blue” and “Gold” spacecraft, built by Rocket Lab, are encapsulated for launch to study how the solar wind drives atmospheric escape at Mars from complementary orbits.
  • Success on this mission would advance Blue Origin toward Space Force certification for national security launches and adds to a packed Space Coast week that could set a new yearly launch record.