Blue Origin Successfully Launches New Glenn on NASA’s ESCAPADE Mission

On November 13, 2025, Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket lifted off from Launch Complex 36 (LC-36) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, sending NASA’s dual spacecraft ESCAPADE mission on the first leg of its journey toward Mars. The afternoon launch marked a major milestone for both Blue Origin and NASA’s growing reliance on commercial heavy lift providers.

A New Chapter for New Glenn

For Blue Origin, this mission marked far more than a standard launch. It represented the company’s first operational science payload launch for NASA, and a long-anticipated showcase of New Glenn’s capabilities. The rocket’s seven BE-4 engines ignited at t-minus 5.6 seconds, and at t-0 the 321-foot-tall vehicle ascended through the cloudless Florida sky with a powerful, steady climb. A smooth stage separation followed thereafter.

Just minutes later, the booster executed a power slide landing on Blue Origin’s ocean recovery ship, Jacklyn, similar to how SpaceX lands its Falcon 9 boosters on barges. The upper stage executed a nominal orbital insertion, later deploying the twin ESCAPADE spacecraft. Solidifying it’s capabilities as a reliable launch provider.

What ESCAPADE Will Do at Mars

ESCAPADE, short for Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers, consists of two nearly identical spacecraft nicknamed “Blue” and “Gold”, manufactured by Rocket Lab for NASA. For the next year it will go into a “kidney bean-shaped Earth-proximity phase before returning to a low-altitude perigee for a Trans-Mars Injection (TMI) engine burn. This burn in November 2026, taking advantage of the Oberth Effect, sends Blue and Gold on their way to Mars” according to UC Berkley. The probes are set to arrive at Mars in 2027.

Once in Mars orbit, the twin spacecraft will work in tandem to study how solar wind interacts with Mars’ weak magnetic field. Their coordinated measurements will help scientists better understand atmospheric escape, a process that likely transformed Mars from the once-wet world into the dry, thin air planet we see today.

Why This Launch Matters

The successful ESCAPADE mission represents several key turning points:

• First major NASA science payload on New Glenn

• Blue Origin’s first fully successful booster landing for this vehicle

• A milestone in NASA’s shift toward commercial launchers for deep space missions

• New capabilities for interplanetary science using small, low-cost dual-probe architectures

For interplanetary exploration, ESCAPADE fills a crucial gap between previous orbiters like MAVEN and future flagship Mars missions.

Looking Ahead

With New Glenn now proven on a major NASA mission, Blue Origin is positioned as a strong heavy lift option for future science and commercial launches. As the first commercial launch provider to be a true competitor to SpaceX, it’s going to be an exciting future for spaceflight.

ESCAPADE will spend the next several years performing checkouts and trajectory adjustments as it heads toward Mars. The spacecraft are expected to enter their science orbits in late 2027, providing new, valuable perspectives of Mars’ magnetic and atmospheric dynamics. For researchers and the launch industry alike, ESCAPADE represents a milestone and a promising start to New Glenn’s operational future.

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