Blue Origin's Second New Glenn Launch Will Carry Real Nasa Satellites

Blue Origin has announced a target day for New Glenn’s 2nd launch: November 9. This time, nan ngo will deploy existent payloads, not conscionable transportation a technological demo for nan company. Specifically, nan spacecraft will beryllium carrying nan NASA Escapade mission’s copy satellites, which are headed to Mars. New Glenn, Blue Origin’s heavy-lift motorboat conveyance that was designed to beryllium reused for a minimum of 25 flights, had its maiden formation successful January. While nan rocket made it to space, nan institution grounded to onshore its first shape connected its betterment vessel successful nan Atlantic Ocean.

In a tweet, Blue Origin CEO Dave Limp said it won’t beryllium a problem if it fails to instrumentality nan landing again. “We've sewage respective much New Glenn boosters already successful production,” he said. The mission’s superior goal, he clarified, is to get nan Escapade satellites safely into orbit.

Mars missions typically motorboat during a constrictive model of clip erstwhile nan reddish satellite and nan Earth are aligned. It’s a arena that only happens erstwhile each 2 years. Colorado aerospace institution Advanced Space designed Escapade’s trajectory for Mars missions that do not motorboat wrong that timeframe. The satellites will linger successful nan L2 Lagrange constituent betwixt nan sun and nan Earth for a year. In November 2026, they will do a slingshot astir our satellite successful bid to scope Mars sometime successful 2027 during that once-in-every-two-year alignment. “Can we motorboat to Mars erstwhile nan planets are not aligned? Escapade is paving nan measurement for that,” said Jeffrey Parker of Advanced Space.

New Glenn will assistance disconnected from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Launch Complex 36. The institution is aiming for a 2:45 PM Eastern clip motorboat connected November 9. As SpaceNews notes, nan US authorities shutdown could limit NASA’s coverage, though nan agency is still expected to livestream nan event.