NASA is delaying the launch of its ESCAPADE probes to Mars, which means plans for the debut of Blue Origin’s heavy-lift New Glenn rocket will change as well.
New Glenn was previously due to send the twin ESCAPADE spacecraft to Mars as early as next month, but after a review of launch preparations, NASA rescheduled the launch for next spring at the earliest.
Planning for the mission is complicated because of the tight window for launch, necessitated by the alignment of Earth and Mars. Even a small schedule change can result in a months-long delay for liftoff.
After consulting with Blue Origin, the Federal Aviation Administration and range safety managers at the U.S. Space Force, NASA decided to hold off on fueling up the ESCAPADE probes. “The decision was made to avoid significant cost, schedule and technical challenges associated with potentially removing fuel from the spacecraft in the event of a launch delay, which could be caused by a number of factors,” the space agency said today in a mission update.
ESCAPADE — an acronym that stands for “Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers” — is a mission designed to study interactions between the solar wind and Mars’ magnetosphere.
“This mission can help us study the atmosphere at Mars — key information as we explore farther and farther into our solar system and need to protect astronauts and spacecraft from space weather,” said Nicky Fox, associate administrator for science at NASA Headquarters. “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.”
The postponement provides Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin space venture with additional breathing room as it prepares for New Glenn’s first launch. In a posting to X, the Kent, Wash.-based company said it was supportive of NASA’s decision and would look forward to launching the ESCAPADE probes at a later time.
“We plan to move up New Glenn’s second flight, originally scheduled for December, into November,” Blue Origin said. “New Glenn will carry Blue Ring technology and mark our first National Security Space Launch certification flight. We’ll provide more details on these launch plans in the coming weeks.”
In March, Blue Origin said it would use its Blue Ring orbital logistics vehicle to support a mission known as DarkSky-1 for the Pentagon’s Defense Innovation Unit.
https://ift.tt/ORHux2j September 07, 2024 at 01:29AM GeekWire
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