Blue Origin’s New Glenn Launches NASA Mars Probes and Lands Booster at Sea

Overview

• New Glenn lifted off from Cape Canaveral on Nov. 13 and deployed NASA’s twin ESCAPADE satellites on their Mars-bound trajectory.
• The first-stage booster touched down on Blue Origin’s autonomous ship Jacklyn about 375 miles offshore, the rocket’s first successful recovery.
• ESCAPADE will linger near the Earth–Sun L2 point, depart in late 2026, and enter Martian orbit in 2027 to study how solar wind drives atmospheric escape at Mars.
• The launch followed multiple scrubs caused by poor local weather and elevated geomagnetic activity, after coordination with range and regulatory authorities.
• Federal data indicate NASA budgeted roughly $55 million for ESCAPADE and paid about $18 million for the New Glenn launch, while a Viasat relay demo stayed attached to the upper stage.