Blue Origin has successfully launched its giant New Glenn rocket, carrying two identical NASA Escapade orbiters into orbit, destined for Mars.
The rocket lifted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, after a four-day delay caused by bad weather and solar storms. The Escapade twin spacecraft will remain near Earth for a year, then head to the red planet next fall when Earth and Mars align, with a target arrival date of 2027. They will study Mars’ upper atmosphere and magnetic fields to understand how the planet lost its former warmth and water, and what dangers might lie ahead for future manned missions.
New Glenn is Blue Origin’s big bet, with plans to send humans and cargo to the Moon in the future. NASA plans to return humans to the Moon with new Artemis missions in the coming years, with Blue Origin and SpaceX competing for primary landing systems.
