Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers (ESCAPADE) consists of two identical interplanetary Photon spacecraft developed by Rocket Lab. Both spacecraft are about the size of a mini-fridge and weigh no more than about 250 pounds (120 kilograms) excluding fuel.

ESCAPADE will study how Mars’ magnetosphere – the magnetized area of space around the planet – interacts with the solar wind, and the processes driving its atmospheric escape.

The twin ESCAPADE spacecraft will spend 11 months in interplanetary space before entering a highly elliptical orbit around Mars. They will spend six months gradually descending into the same nominal science orbit like pearls on a string, passing within 100 miles (160 kilometers) of the Martian surface at closest approach.

“This constellation of two satellites at Mars will answer big questions about the atmosphere and the solar wind in real time,” said Shannon Curry, project scientist for the mission at UC Berkeley.

“With simultaneous two-point observations, ESCAPADE will bring us the first ‘stereo’ picture of this highly dynamic environment,” Lillis added.

Using instruments to measure magnetic fields, ions, and electrons, the ESCAPADE spacecraft will analyze how Mars’ magnetic field guides particle flows around the planet; how energy and momentum are transported from the solar wind through Mars’ magnetosphere; and what processes control the flow of energy and matter into and out of the atmosphere.

“Our heliophysics decadal surveys” – the community-wide survey used to set NASA’s scientific objectives – “have identified the scientific need to study the space environments of other planets,” said Jared Leisner, ESCAPADE program scientist at NASA HQ. “By studying the same processes at different planets, we gain key insights into how they function both at Earth and at other planets beyond the solar system.”

ESCAPADE is part of the NASA Small Innovative Missions for Planetary Exploration program.

Courtesy of NASA.

New Glenn is named after John Glenn, the first American to orbit Earth. The rocket stands more than 320 feet (98 m) high—roughly the height of a 30-story building—and features a seven-meter payload fairing, enabling twice the volume of standard five-meter class commercial launch systems.

Stats

Height: 98 m (322 ft)

Diameter: 7 m (23 ft)

Stages: 2

Payload to low Earth orbit (LEO): 45,000 kg (99,000 lb)

Payload to geostationary transfer orbit (GTO): 13,600 kg (30,000 lb)

The fairing is large enough to hold three school buses. Its reusable first stage aims for a minimum of 25 missions and will land on a sea-based platform located roughly 620 miles (1,000 km) downrange. Reusability is integral to radically reducing cost-per-launch.

The vehicle is powered by seven of Blue Origin’s BE-4 engines, the most powerful liquid oxygen (LOX) / liquefied natural gas (LNG) engine ever flown. LNG is cleaner-burning and higher-performing than kerosene-based fuels.

Blue Origin has several New Glenn vehicles in production and a full customer manifest. Customers include NASA, Project Kuiper, Telesat, and Eutelsat, among others. Blue Origin is certifying New Glenn with the U.S. Space Force for the National Security Space Launch (NSSL) program to meet emerging national security objectives.

Courtesy of Blue Origin.

Launch Complex 36 (LC-36) is located at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station just nine miles (14 km) away from the rocket factory. Blue Origin invested more than $1 billion to rebuild the launch site from the ground up.

Completed in 2021, LC-36 is the first newly rebuilt launch complex since the 1960s.

The complex is home to New Glenn’s launch pad, vehicle integration, first stage refurbishment, propellant facilities, and environmental control center.

LC-36 is the former home of more than 140 Atlas II/III launches, including the Mariner, Pioneer, and Surveyor missions.

Courtesy of Blue Origin.