Blue Origin has moved its powerful New Glenn rocket to the launch pad at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, as preparations continue for the vehicle’s upcoming Mars mission. The rollout took place on Wednesday, October 8, and marks a significant step toward the rocket’s second flight.
The upcoming launch, expected in late October or November, will carry NASA’s ESCAPADE mission to Mars. This mission includes two twin spacecraft, named Blue and Gold, developed by Rocket Lab. The orbiters will study the Martian atmosphere and investigate how it is affected by solar wind and space weather.
Standing 320 feet tall (98 metres) when fully stacked, New Glenn is Blue Origin’s largest rocket to date. Like SpaceX’s Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy, it features a reusable first stage designed to return to Earth after launch. New Glenn first flew in January this year, successfully reaching orbit. However, the first-stage booster did not land as planned during the recovery attempt at sea.
This upcoming launch will be New Glenn’s first operational mission, marking a major milestone for the company founded by Jeff Bezos. The mission will send ESCAPADE (Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers) into deep space to orbit Mars and collect data over an extended period.
The twin spacecraft arrived on Florida’s Space Coast on September 22 in preparation for launch.
In addition to New Glenn’s rollout, Wednesday was also notable for Blue Origin’s suborbital success. The company launched its New Shepard vehicle from its West Texas site, sending six people to the edge of space and back. It was the 15th crewed flight and the 36th overall launch of the New Shepard system.
Together, these milestones show Blue Origin’s continued progress in both orbital and suborbital spaceflight, with New Glenn now set to play a key role in NASA’s interplanetary missions.
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