New Glenn • EscaPADE

A Blue Origin New Glenn rocket launched a pair of identical spacecraft on NASA’s Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers (EscaPADE) mission. The two satellites, named Blue and Gold, will make a roughly 11-month journey to Mars where they will then perform about an 11-month science mission while orbiting the Red Planet. Blue and Gold were manufactured by Rocket Lab over about 3.5 years and carry science experiments from the University of California, Berkeley. This launch of the New Glenn rocket also featured a landing on its landing barge in the Atlantic Ocean. Delayed from Oct. 13, 2024. Delayed from mid-August. Delayed from Sept. 29. Delayed from Nov. 9 due to poor weather. Delayed from Nov. 12 due to solar activity.