Drumil Modi, Pune
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has delayed the launch of the ESCAPADE (Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Exploders) mission to Mars. This delay is due to concerns related to the launch readiness and potential complications with Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket.
The ESCAPADE mission was designed to help scientists get a better understanding of the atmosphere on Mars. The mission consisted of two spacecraft named Blue and Gold.
The mission would also study the interaction between solar wind and Mars’ magnetosphere. The mission will give invaluable insights into the Red Planet’s atmospheric escape processes and a brief history into understanding the history of Mars. The total cost of the mission is around $80 million led by the University of California, Barkeley’s Space Sciences Laboratory and the spacecraft is designed by Rocket Lab.
Despite the delays, NASA remains committed to uncovering the mission’s objectives and understanding the climate history and space weather dynamics of the Red Plant.
The planned date for NASA’s ESCAPADE mission to Mars was between 13 to 21 October 2024 which was ideal for reaching Mars. now the launch has been postponed until the spring of 2025. The delay was confirmed after discussions between NASA, Blue Origin, the Federal Aviation Administration and other relevant organizations.
Blue Origin has been working on New Glenn for over 10 years, the first launch was in 2020.
Blue Origin has released new images of the rocket which became a cause of concern as it showed the first stage being assembled for the first time less than 50 days before the launch. The company is also yet to do complete first-stage testing on the New Glenn.
Blue Origin is run by Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon in a statement showed his confidence in how they are doing everything in their power to get done with testing and make the rocket ready for mission.
Blue Origin is also working on Blue Ring, their new spacecraft platform. The goal of Blue Ring is to provide logistics and delivery in space. Blue Ring hopes to become the Amazon of spaces providing end-to-end services such as hosting, transportation, refuelling, data relay and logistics. The current delay has put a dent in this new project’s promises and shows the limitations that come when developing technology for space.