NASA's 1st Mars mission in 5 years set to launch
NASA's ESCAPADE mission, originally set for a date prior to November 13, got pushed back because of bad weather.
Now, it's lifting off on November 13, 2025 at approximately 1:20am IST (or corresponding local time) from Cape Canaveral aboard Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket—marking NASA's first Mars mission in five years and only the second flight for this new heavy-lift rocket.
Two twin spacecraft will study solar wind's impact on Mars
ESCAPADE features two twin spacecraft, Blue and Gold (built by Rocket Lab), aiming to find out how solar wind affects Mars's atmosphere.
After launch, they'll spend about 12 months at Lagrange Point 2 before heading toward Mars—a trip that will take about 10 months.
New Glenn will attempt to land on a ship at sea
After liftoff, New Glenn's first stage will try to land itself on a ship called Jacklyn out in the Atlantic.
If it works, it'll be a big step for reusable rockets.