ESCAPADE Programme Expected to Launch in Upcoming Fall Season

BUSAN, South Korea — NASA's small satellite mission, ESCAPADE, aimed at venturing to Mars, remains on track for a launch this fall. The specific launch date, however, has yet to be determined. During a presentation at the recent Committee on Space Research (COSPAR) 45th Scientific Assembly, Rob Lillis from the University of California Berkeley Space Sciences Laboratory confirmed that ESCAPADE is scheduled to blast off in the coming months on the inaugural flight of Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket.

ESCAPADE comprises two identical small satellites known as Blue and Gold, which will be placed in orbit around Mars. Equipped with cutting-edge instruments, these spacecraft will investigate Mars' magnetosphere and analyze its interaction with solar winds.

The spacecraft, produced by Rocket Lab, are nearing completion for launch. Environmental testing has been successfully concluded for Blue, while Gold is undergoing final vibration testing. Lillis expressed excitement, stating, "It's been really exciting to see these two probes finally come together after working on them for so many years."

The launch of ESCAPADE has garnered substantial attention, perhaps overshadowing the importance of the mission itself. Under a NASA task order valued at $20 million, the spacecraft are scheduled to be launched aboard New Glenn's maiden flight. However, the specific launch date remains unknown. While past discussions indicated a September 29 launch, that date is now considered outdated. The ESCAPADE website acknowledges September 29 as a "placeholder" date, emphasizing that further updates will follow.

Lillis clarified that the mission is expected to launch this fall, and efforts are underway in collaboration with Blue Origin to finalize the preparations. The launch window for any Mars missions this year extends approximately until mid-October.

If all goes as planned, ESCAPADE aims to reach Mars with a 48-hour interval between Blue and Gold satellites in September 2025. The prime science mission is set to initiate in April 2026, lasting for a year. Lillis expressed hopes that the ESCAPADE spacecraft could collaborate with various other Mars orbiters from NASA and other agencies to unlock a "golden era" of research into the Martian magnetosphere.

ESCAPADE serves as an essential experiment, showcasing the potential of small and cost-effective spacecraft for conducting scientific missions beyond Earth. In 2019, NASA selected ESCAPADE, alongside the Janus and Lunar Trailblazer missions, as part of its SIMPLEx line of planetary science small satellite projects. Unfortunately, Janus was postponed due to launch delays as a secondary payload on the Psyche mission, hindering its planned asteroid flyby objectives. On the other hand, Lunar Trailblazer is set to launch later this year as a rideshare payload on the second Intuitive Machines lander.

"It's very much an experiment by NASA in reducing costs for planetary missions. Can you do a mission for approximately one-tenth of what NASA would have spent, and what risks are you incurring by doing that?" highlighted Lillis, emphasizing NASA's keen interest in evaluating the cost-effectiveness and feasibility of such endeavors.