Blue Origin, the company owned by Jeff Bezos, is teaming up with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for a mission to Mars that is scheduled for late 2024.
The mission is called the Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers, otherwise known as ESCAPE, and the aim of the partnership is to launch it aboard Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket. The upcoming mission will focus on studying the Red Planet's magnetosphere, specifically its interaction with the solar wind and how energy and plasma are able to enter and leave it.
Here's what you have to know.
ESCAPADE Mars Mission
The ESCAPADE Mars mission is part of NASA's Small Innovative Missions for Planetary Exploration program. Once launched, the ESCAPADE mission will take 11 months to get to the Red Planet.
"ESCAPADE will study Mars' magnetosphere – the magnetized area of space around the planet – using two identical small spacecraft, which will provide simultaneous two-point observations," NASA says in its press release.
"The spacecraft will help provide researchers a better understanding of how the magnetosphere interacts with the solar wind, and how energy and plasma enter and leave the magnetosphere," the space agency adds.
The press release notes that the mission's satellites with each carry a total of three instruments. The first of which is a magnetometer, which is used to measure the magnetic field. Second, there is the electrostatic analyzer, which can measure ions and electrons. Last is the Langmuir probe, which is used to measure plasma density as well as solar extreme ultraviolet flux.
Blue Origin's New Glenn Rocket
In a statement, Jarrett Jones, Blue Origin's senior vice president of the New Glenn, has said that the company is "thrilled NASA's Launch Services Program has selected New Glenn to launch the instruments that will study Mars' magnetosphere."
A report by Space notes that the New Glenn rocket that will be used for the ESCAPADE mission will come in two variants: a two-stage variant and a three-stage variant. It is said to be taller than the New Shepard rocket at 313 feet. New Shepard stands at 59 feet.
Gizmodo adds in its own report that its reusable first stage can withstand up to 25 missions. The rocket also comes with seven reusable BE-4 engines.
No Updates Regarding New Shepard
In related news, Space notes that there has been no updates on the investigation that followed after Blue Origin's New Shepard rocket suffered an anomaly last September. This anomaly has led to all other launches being cancelled.
An uncrewed mission was meant to launch on September 12, but a problem with the rocket's booster caused the New Shepard to activate its emergency escape system. As Space notes in a separate report, the space company was able to safely recover the capsule after the anomaly took place.
