ESCAPADE Mission: NASA To Send Twin Orbiters To Decode Mars' Magnetic Mysteries

NASA is set to launch its ESCAPADE (Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers) mission to Mars on November 9 aboard Blue Origin's powerful New Glenn rocket. The mission consists of twin spacecraft, aptly named Blue and Gold, designed to study Mars' magnetosphere and atmospheric loss. The twin spacecraft will orbit Mars to investigate how the solar wind interacts with the planet's magnetic field and strips away its atmosphere, a process that has shaped Mars' climate history.

Led by UC Berkeley's Space Sciences Laboratory and built by Rocket Lab, ESCAPADE marks NASA's first dual-spacecraft orbital science mission to Mars. Following launch from Cape Canaveral, the probes will spend a year orbiting Earth's L2 libration point, studying space weather, before embarking on a 10-month journey to Mars. 

Mission Objectives

The primary goal of the mission is to understand the processes that caused Mars to transition from a potentially warm, wet world with a thick atmosphere to the cold, arid planet it is today. By using two identical spacecraft (Blue and Gold) for the first time in complementary orbits around Mars, scientists can distinguish between spatial and temporal variations in the magnetic field and atmosphere. This dual-point measurement approach will provide a real-time, 3D picture of the Martian magnetosphere, which is not possible with a single orbiter. 

"The two spacecraft … will be characterizing the magnetic and space weather (i.e. plasma, radiation) environment on their way to Mars, then after they achieve Mars orbit, they'll be measuring this environment in the solar wind and within Mars' upper atmosphere, including rates of atmospheric escape," the mission's principal investigator Dr. Rob Lillis explained to Spectrum News in an email interview.

ESCAPADE Mission Timeline

• The twin spacecraft are set to launch on November 9 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Initially, they'll enter an Earth-centric orbit, performing multiple maneuvers to raise their altitude and prepare for their journey to Mars.
• Instead of a direct flight, they'll spend about a year in a "kidney-bean-shaped" orbit near the Earth-Sun L2 point, studying near-Earth space weather and awaiting optimal planetary alignment for a fuel-efficient trans-Mars injection.
• In November 2026, they'll perform a Trans-Mars Injection burn, starting their 10-month journey to Mars, with expected arrival in September 2027.
• After arrival, they'll execute Mars Orbit Insertion burns and undergo several orbit adjustments before beginning their 11-month primary science mission in mid-2028.

The New Glenn rocket

The ESCAPADE mission is a crucial flight for Blue Origin's heavy-lift New Glenn rocket, marking its second-ever launch and first interplanetary mission.Standing 98 meters, it's one of the largest rockets ever built. The first stage is powered by seven BE-4 engines that burn liquid methane and liquid oxygen, while the second stage uses two BE-3U engines fueled by liquid hydrogen and oxygen. It is designed to carry up to 45 metric tons to Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and 7 metric tons to Trans-Lunar Injection (TLI). Its wide 7-meter payload fairing offers ample volume for large payloads.