With a little encouragement from Jeff Bezos’ space company Blue Origin, NASA has launched its latest mission to study Mars.
Riding aboard a Blue Origin New Glenn rocket, NASA’s pair of ESCAPE (Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers) spacecraft launched at 3:55 p.m. ET Thursday from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
Built by Rocket Lab, the spacecraft are part of NASA’s first mission led by the University of California, Berkeley. In a frankly adorable post on X, Rocket Lab posted an image of the twins (named Blue and Gold for UC Berkeley’s school colors), confirming ground communications with both spacecraft — NASA said contact was established by 10:35 p.m.
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Blue Origin CEO Bezos also posted a clip on
mashable light speed
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NASA quietly sent two spacecraft to Mars – and they’re headed on a new path
According to NASA, the spacecraft will be deployed to study how the atmosphere of Mars is affected by the Sun and solar winds, and will provide important data to prepare for human exploration of the Red Planet.
“Congratulations to Blue Origin, Rocket Lab, UC Berkeley, and all of our partners on the successful launch of ESCAPADE. This heliophysics mission will help reveal how Mars became a desert planet and how solar eruptions affect the surface of Mars,” NASA Acting Administrator Sean Duffy said in a statement.
Mashable science reporter Elisha Sours writes, giving more details about the Escapade mission, what it can accomplish and how much it will cost:
Escapade could set a precedent for how NASA and the commercial space industry approach interplanetary missions in the future. From Soup to Nuts, Escapade Under NASA Had a Budget of $80 Million Small innovative missions to explore planets Program. rocket lab The twin probes were built in just 3.5 years for $57 million, a relatively cheap price compared to the agency’s billions of dollars. spend normallyThey are a product of expensive missions based on legacy aerospace contracts cost plus fixed fee model, which allowed builders to run over budget without picking up the tab.
If you want to see the New Glenn rocket taking NASA’s Escapades to the sky, you can watch Blue Origin’s stream below (the launch sits around the one hour, 40 minute mark):
For a more detailed analysis of Escapade Mission, Mashable has you covered. And if you’re looking for a way to mark the occasion, there’s really only one song: