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NASA announced the surprising decision to remove the ESCAPADE smallsats from the first launch of Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket due to concerns over the rocket’s readiness. The twin Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers were originally scheduled to launch on New Glenn’s maiden flight from Cape Canaveral, Florida, between October 13 and 21. However, NASA suspended pre-launch preparations for the spacecraft on September 6, citing uncertainties about the rocket’s ability to launch in October.
The agency decided to halt the filling of the spacecraft with propellants, such as hydrazine and nitrogen tetroxide, more than a month before the scheduled launch. This was done to avoid potential major financial, scheduling, and technical issues that could arise if the launch was delayed and the propellants had to be removed from the spacecraft. With the challenges of removing the propellants if New Glenn missed the October launch window, NASA wanted to allow extra time before fuelling the spacecraft to ensure readiness for the tight planetary launch window.
While Blue Origin had expected New Glenn to launch within the nine-day mid-October window, industry sources revealed that the firm still had testing and assembly tasks to complete on the rocket. Given the complexity of new rocket launches and the potential for delays, NASA wanted to make sure that all preparations were in place before fuelling the spacecraft. NASA cited the importance of having margin in pre-launch work to ensure readiness for the mission to explore the Martian magnetosphere and solar wind.
Despite the setback, NASA expressed its commitment to launching ESCAPADE and exploring Mars. The agency indicated that ESCAPADE might launch on New Glenn in early 2025, outside the conventional Mars launch window that opens this autumn and closes in two years. NASA assistant administrator for science Nicky Fox stated, “We’re committed to seeing ESCAPADE safely into space, and I look forward to seeing it off the ground and on its trip to Mars.”
Blue Origin also expressed support for NASA’s decision to target the ESCAPADE mission for spring 2025 and looked forward to the upcoming flight. The company revealed plans to launch New Glenn’s maiden flight with unnamed Blue Ring orbital transfer vehicle technology and its first Space Force National Security Space Launch program certification launch. The second New Glenn mission was rescheduled from December to November, with no announcement made regarding the payload or schedule.
While industry sources indicated that Blue Origin was not expected to significantly delay launch preparations beyond payload changes, the top stage would undergo a static-fire test on the pad before rollout in early November. Despite the unexpected removal of ESCAPADE from the first launch, both NASA and Blue Origin remained committed to ensuring the success of the upcoming missions and exploring the mysteries of Mars and beyond.
