August 19, 2024 This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlightedthe following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: fact-checked reputable news agency proofread by Richard Tribou, Orlando Sentinel The Mars-bound twin spacecraft for NASA's ESCAPADE mission were packed up in California to be shipped out to Florida this week ahead of what would be the first ever launch of Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket from Cape Canaveral. ESCAPADE stands for Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers, and the mission's purpose is to orbit Mars and observe plasma and magnetic fields around the planet to help understand what processes strip atoms from Mars' magnetosphere and upper atmosphere.
That could help explain why Mars' atmosphere is so thin, and how it may have evolved over time. The two small satellites , dubbed Blue and Gold, were built by Rocket Lab in California for NASA and the University of California Berkeley's Space Science Laboratory. They will soon arrive at Kennedy Space Center where they will head to a cleanroom for post-transport inspections and tests.
Eventually, they will be encapsulated for launch on New Glenn from Blue Origin's pad at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station's Launch Complex 36, something Blue Origin officials state will happen before the end of the year. Rocket Lab is most known for its small launch vehicle activity, second to only SpaceX in recent years for number of lau.