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Title: Blue Origin's second New Glenn launch will carry real NASA satellites

Link: https://www.engadget.com/science/blue-origins...

Blue Origin has announced a target date for New GlennΓÇÖs second launch:
November 9. This time, the mission will deploy real payloads, not just carry
a technological demo for the company. Specifically, the spacecraft will be
carrying the NASA Escapade missionΓÇÖs twin satellites, which are headed to
Mars. New Glenn, Blue OriginΓÇÖs heavy-lift launch vehicle that was designed
to be reused for a minimum of 25 flights, had its maiden flight in January.
While the rocket made it to space, the company failed to land its first stage
on its recovery ship in the Atlantic Ocean.

In a tweet, Blue Origin CEO Dave Limp said it wonΓÇÖt be a problem if it
fails to stick the landing again. ΓÇ£We've got several more New Glenn
boosters already in production,ΓÇ¥ he said. The missionΓÇÖs primary goal, he
clarified, is to get the Escapade satellites safely into orbit.

NG-1's goal was clear: reach orbit, everything after that was a bonus. NG-2
builds on that with our primary goal to get Escapade safely to orbit and land
the booster. What if we don't stick the landing? That's ok. We've got several
more New Glenn boosters already in production.… https://t.co/MtZ5057zTH

ΓÇö Dave Limp (@davill) November 5, 2025

Mars missions typically launch during a narrow window of time when the red
planet and the Earth are aligned. ItΓÇÖs a phenomenon that only happens once
every two years. Colorado aerospace company Advanced Space designed
EscapadeΓÇÖs trajectory for Mars missions that do not launch within that
timeframe. The satellites will linger in the L2 Lagrange point between the
sun and the Earth for a year. In November 2026, they will do a slingshot
around our planet in order to reach Mars sometime in 2027 during that once-in-
every-two-year alignment. ΓÇ£Can we launch to Mars when the planets are not
aligned? Escapade is paving the way for that,ΓÇ¥ said Jeffrey Parker of
Advanced Space.

New Glenn will lift off from Cape Canaveral Space Force StationΓÇÖs Launch
Complex 36. The company is aiming for a 2:45 PM Eastern time launch on
November 9. As SpaceNews notes, the US government shutdown could limit
NASAΓÇÖs coverage, though the agency is still expected to livestream the
event.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at
https://www.engadget.com/science/blue-origins...
carry-real-nasa-satellites-153000627.html?src=rss

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