BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. — Blue Origin is moving closer to launching NASA’s ESCAPADE mission to Mars, a critical step toward understanding how the Red Planet’s magnetic field interacts with solar wind and space weather.
Dr. Don Platt, the department head for Aerospace, Physics, and Space Sciences at Florida Tech, said, “Due to the time-sensitive nature of these alignments that only happen approximately every two years, they have to meet the deadlines.”
It’s still unclear how the government shutdown might impact the ESCAPADE mission.
Most NASA employees are currently furloughed, with few exceptions like operations related to Artemis, the International Space Station, and satellite operations.
Yesterday, Blue Origin rolled out the first stage of the New Glenn rocket that will launch NASA’s twin ESCAPADE spacecraft to Mars.
The commercial launch provider continues to prepare for a fall liftoff despite the government shutdown.
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