Blue Origin Livestreams Attempt to Launch Unique ''EscaPADE' Mission to Mars

Blue Origin is livestreaming the launch of its New Glenn rocket, which would carry a very unique mission for NASA. 'Twin spacecraft are set to take off on an unprecedented, winding journey to Mars,' reports CNN, 'where they will investigate why the barren red planet began to lose its atmosphere billions of years ago.' By observing two Mars locations simultaneously, this mission can measure how Mars responds to space weather in real time — and how the Martian magnetosphere changes...

Called EscaPADE, the mission will aim for an orbital trajectory that has never been attempted before, according to aerospace company Advanced Space, which is supporting the project. If successful, it could be a crucial case study that can allow extraordinary flexibility for planetary science missions down the road. The robotic mission plans to spend a year idling in an orbital backroad before heading to its target destination... [R]ather than turning toward Mars, the two orbiters will instead aim for Lagrange Point 2, or L2 — a cosmic balance point about 1.5 million kilometers (930,000 miles) from Earth. Lagrange points are special because they act as gravitational wells in which the pull of the sun and Earth are in perfect balance. The conditions can allow spacecraft to linger without being dragged away... The spacecraft will then loop endlessly in a kidney bean-shaped orbit around L2 until next year's Mars transfer window opens.


This 'launch and loiter' project is part of NASA's SIMPLEx [Small, Innovative Missions for Planetary Exploration] program, which seeks
high-value missions for less money, notes CNN. 'EscaPADE's cost was less than $100 million, compared with the roughly $300 million to $600 million price tags of other NASA satellites orbiting Mars.'

'Blue Origin is also attempting to land and recover New Glenn's first-stage booster,' notes another CNN article.

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