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2h ago

Severe Solar Storm Delays Blue Origin’s New Glenn ESCAPADE Launch

NASA paused the ESCAPADE liftoff to protect the spacecraft from space‑weather effects.

Darkness falls as a Blue Origin New Glenn rocket is prepped for launch from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station November 8, 2025. The rocket is scheduled to launch Sunday afternoon with NASA’s ESCAPADE mission. Craig Bailey/FLORIDA TODAY via USA TODAY NETWORK
Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket sits on the launch pad, shortly before being delayed by weather on Earth and in space.
A Blue Origin New Glenn rocket stands ready on Launch Complex 36 a few minutes before the launch was scrubbed at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Sunday, Nov. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
© Blue Origin

Overview

  • Blue Origin and NASA issued a joint update postponing the NG‑2 mission, saying New Glenn is ready on the pad at LC‑36 as teams assess the next launch window.
  • NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center posted a G4 severe geomagnetic storm watch, with potential impacts to communications, navigation and ascent conditions.
  • A new target date has not been announced as managers weigh space‑weather forecasts, Eastern Range availability and routine prelaunch checks.
  • The primary payload is NASA’s ~$80 million ESCAPADE mission, two Rocket Lab–built smallsats that will stage at Earth–Sun L2 before heading to Mars to study how solar wind drives atmospheric loss, with arrival planned in 2027.
  • Blue Origin intends to attempt first‑stage recovery on the barge Jacklyn after liftoff, following a January flight that reached orbit but lost the booster, making this a key reusability test.