BackNASA to launch ‘Mars mission' on Blue Origin's New Glenn
According to Blue Origin, ESCAPADE is a twin-spacecraft Class D mission that will study solar wind energy transfer through Mars’ unique hybrid magnetosphere.
PremiumThe American space agency, NASA has awarded the Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers (ESCAPADE) contract to Blue Origin’s New Glenn, an American privately funded aerospace manufacturer, and sub-orbital spaceflight services company.
In an official statement, the company stated that ESCAPADE is part of the NASA Small Innovative Missions for Planetary Exploration (SIMPLEx) program which is a dual spacecraft mission to study Mars’ magnetosphere.
According to Blue Origin, ESCAPADE is a twin-spacecraft Class D mission that will study solar wind energy transfer through Mars’ unique hybrid magnetosphere.
“ESCAPADE is a task order under NASA's Venture-Class Acquisition of Dedicated and Rideshare (VADR) launch services contract, which last year assigned a maximum of $300 million to be split among 13 companies for launch services of various kinds," it said.
Blue Origin was on-ramped to the NASA VADR launch services Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract on January 26, 2022, with a five-year period of performance, it added.
Jarrett Jones, senior vice president, New Glenn, Blue Origin said that ESCAPADE follows a long tradition of NASA Mars science and exploration missions.
He further said the company is thrilled that NASA’s Launch Services Program has selected New Glenn to launch the instruments that will study Mars’ magnetosphere.
Currently, Blue Origin is working to create that future by developing reusable launch vehicles and in-space systems that are safe low-cost, and serve the needs of all civil, commercial, and defense customers.
Its efforts include flying astronauts to space on New Shepard, producing reusable liquid rocket engines, developing an orbital launch vehicle with New Glenn, building next-generation space habitats, and returning to the surface of the Moon.
Notably, it is Blue Origin's first big government contract for rocket that is yet to be tested. The assumed launch date of the mission is 2024.
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