WASHINGTON — NASA has decided not to launch a pair of Mars-bound smallsats on the first flight of Blue Origin’s New Glenn in October out of concerns that the rocket may not be ready in time.
NASA announced Sept. 6 that the agency will halt pre-launch preparations for the twin Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers (ESCAPADE) smallsats.
The spacecraft were scheduled to launch on the first flight of New Glenn between Oct. 13 and 21 from Cape Canaveral, Florida.
The agency made the decision now, more than a month before launch window opens, before loading the spacecraft with hydrazine and nitrogen tetroxide propellants.
NASA had concluded that it could not push back the spacecraft fueling and thus needed to decide now if New Glenn could be ready in time for the October launch window.
NASA said the next possible launch date for ESCAPADE, again on New Glenn, would be in the spring of 2025.
A launch then would be outside the traditional Mars launch window that is open this fall but is not available again for roughly two years.
Agency officials emphasized they still planned to launch ESCAPADE, a low-cost mission to study the interaction of the Martian magnetosphere with the solar wind, despite the delay.
“We’re supportive of NASA’s decision to target the ESCAPADE mission for no earlier than spring 2025 and look forward to the flight,” Blue Origin said in a statement.
That was intended to be on the second New Glenn flight in December, but the company will instead move up that launch to November.
WASHINGTON — Due to worries that the rocket might not be ready in time, NASA has opted not to launch two Mars-bound smallsats on the inaugural flight of Blue Origin’s New Glenn in October.
Sept. was the NASA announcement. 6 that the organization will not be moving forward with the pre-launch planning for the two smallsats, the Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers (ESCAPADE). The spacecraft was supposed to take off on New Glenn’s inaugural flight between October and November. 13 and 21 from Florida’s Cape Canaveral.
Before the spacecraft was loaded with hydrazine and nitrogen tetroxide propellants, the agency made this decision more than a month before the launch window opened. NASA had come to the conclusion that it was going to have to make a decision on New Glenn’s readiness in time for the October launch window because it could not delay the spacecraft’s fueling.
NASA said, “The decision was made to avoid significant cost, schedule, and technical challenges associated with potentially removing fuel from the spacecraft in the event of a launch delay, which could be caused by a number of factors.”.
According to a source in the industry who was aware of the decision, Blue Origin thought New Glenn would be prepared for launch within the nine-day window in mid-October, even though the company still needs to finish testing and integrate the rocket. Since the first launches of new rockets frequently encounter problems, that schedule required that those last preparations proceed largely as planned.
Given the difficulties in removing the propellants in the event that New Glenn missed the October window, NASA was looking for more leeway in that schedule before committing to fueling the spacecraft. According to a statement from Bradley Smith, director of NASA Headquarters’ Launch Services Office, “this is an important mission for NASA, and it’s critical we have sufficient margin in our prelaunch work to ensure we are ready to fly a tight planetary window.”.
According to NASA, ESCAPADE may launch once more in the spring of 2025 from New Glenn. When the spacecraft would arrive at Mars was one of the details of that alternate trajectory that the agency withheld. Launching then would occur outside the standard Mars launch window, which opens this fall and closes for about two years.
Notwithstanding the postponement, agency representatives stressed that they still intended to launch ESCAPADE, a low-cost mission to investigate the Martian magnetosphere’s interaction with wind. NASA Associate Administrator for Science Nicky Fox said in a statement, “We’re committed to seeing ESCAPADE safely into space, and I look forward to seeing it off the ground and on its trip to Mars.”.
Blue Origin released a statement saying, “We look forward to the flight and support NASA’s decision to target the ESCAPADE mission for no earlier than spring 2025.”.
Rather, the company stated that the inaugural flight of New Glenn will carry an undisclosed piece of technology for its Blue Ring orbital transfer vehicle. Additionally, it will be the vehicle’s first launch certified for the Space Force national security space launch program. That was supposed to be on the second flight out of New Glenn in December, but the company is pushing that launch date up to November. The payload and launch date for that second launch were previously unknown to Blue Origin.
According to an industry source, Blue Origin won’t be slowing down or drastically altering launch preparations other than making the necessary adjustments to account for the payload change. This includes rolling out to the pad on September for a static-fire test of the upper stage. 3, early the following week. The actual launch may take place in early November, even if it is delayed by only a few weeks.
