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The Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorer (ESCAPADE) Mars mission is still scheduled to launch in the fall on a Blue Origin New Glenn rocket. Report Space News.
Rob Lillis of the Space Sciences Laboratory at the University of California, Berkeley, confirmed the launch plan at the 45th Science Assembly of the Space Research Council. According to him, the launch time is not September, but October.
The publication recalls that ESCAPADE includes two small satellites: Blue and Gold, which are planned to be launched into a near-Mars orbit. The purpose of the spacecraft is to study the Martian magnetosphere and its interaction with the solar wind. According to the spacecraft’s manufacturer, Rocket Lab, the latter is almost ready for launch. If the satellites are launched in the fall, they will arrive at Mars in September 2025 and begin work in April 2026.
In November 2023, SpaceNews cited NASA as saying that during the first launch of Blue Origin’s expected New Glenn Heavy rocket, it will launch two cube satellites for the ESCAPADE mission.
In November 2022, the publication reported that the ESCAPADE launch contract cost NASA Blue Origin is valued at $20 million.
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