Hold onto your seats, space enthusiasts, because this week is shaping up to be a monumental one for space exploration! NASA’s Mars mission is about to take a giant leap forward, thanks to Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket, which is set to launch the ESCAPADE probes to the Red Planet. But here’s where it gets even more exciting: this isn’t just any launch—it’s New Glenn’s second mission and its first operational flight for a NASA science payload. And this is the part most people miss: the ESCAPADE mission could unlock the secrets of Mars’ ancient, watery past by studying how its atmosphere is stripped away by the solar wind. Let’s dive into the details and explore why this week’s launches are a can’t-miss event for anyone fascinated by the cosmos.
The Star of the Show: New Glenn’s Historic Mission
This week’s headline act is undoubtedly Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket, standing tall at 321 feet (98 meters), as it prepares to carry NASA’s ESCAPADE (Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers) mission to Mars. Scheduled for no earlier than Sunday, November 9, this launch marks a significant milestone for both Blue Origin and NASA. Liftoff will occur from Space Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, a site that hadn’t seen a launch in 20 years until New Glenn’s debut in January. Speaking of that debut, while the first mission successfully reached orbit, the booster, whimsically named So You’re Telling Me There’s a Chance, was not recovered due to a landing engine failure. But here’s where it gets controversial: Blue Origin is now attempting to land the new booster, Never Tell Me the Odds, on its drone ship Jacklyn. If successful, the company plans to refurbish and reuse it for New Glenn’s third flight, which will carry the Blue Moon Mk. 1 robotic lander—a critical step toward NASA’s Artemis 5 crewed mission. Will this booster fare better than its predecessor? Only time will tell.
ESCAPADE itself is a pair of identical small satellites, affectionately nicknamed Blue and Gold, built by Rocket Lab as part of NASA’s SIMPLEx program. Once at Mars, these twin probes will study the planet’s magnetosphere in complementary orbits, providing a real-time, 3D view of how the solar wind erodes the Martian atmosphere. This raises a thought-provoking question: Could understanding Mars’ atmospheric loss help us protect Earth’s atmosphere in the face of solar activity? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!
Other Missions Taking Flight This Week
While New Glenn steals the spotlight, there’s no shortage of action in the skies. Here’s a quick rundown of the week’s other notable launches:
- Tuesday, November 4: Arianespace will launch the Sentinel-1D satellite on an Ariane 62 rocket from French Guiana. This advanced radar satellite will join the EU’s Copernicus constellation, providing all-weather, day-and-night imaging of Earth for environmental monitoring.
- Wednesday, November 5: It’s a busy day with three launches! Rocket Lab will deploy the QPS-SAR-14 (YACHIHOKO-I) satellite for Japanese Earth-imaging company iQPS. SpaceX will launch another Starlink mission from Cape Canaveral, while ULA’s Atlas V rocket will carry the massive ViaSat-3 F2 satellite, designed to deliver over 1 terabit per second of broadband capacity for the Americas. But here’s a point to ponder: With so many satellites in orbit, how will we manage space traffic and debris in the future?
- Thursday, November 6: SpaceX heads to Vandenberg for another Starlink launch, while Chinese commercial firm CAS Space will launch an unknown payload on the Kinetica 1, China’s largest solid-fueled rocket.
- Saturday, November 8: SpaceX continues its Starlink streak with a launch from Kennedy Space Center.
- Sunday, November 9: China’s CASC will launch an unknown payload on a Long March 12 rocket, though Chinese mission schedules are often tentative and subject to last-minute changes.
Last Week’s Recap: A Launch Extravaganza
The week of October 27–November 2 was a whirlwind of activity, with seven launches in total. Highlights included China’s Shenzhou-21 crewed mission to the Tiangong space station and India’s successful launch of the CMS-03 (GSAT-7R) communications satellite. SpaceX dominated the schedule with the Bandwagon-4 rideshare mission and three Starlink launches from both coasts. China capped off the week with the Yaogan 46 launch.
Looking Ahead: What’s Next for Space Fans
Next week promises more excitement, with SpaceX’s Transporter-15 rideshare mission kicking things off on November 10. Additional Starlink launches are also on the horizon, ensuring a steady stream of action for launch enthusiasts.
Final Thoughts
This week’s launches are a testament to humanity’s growing presence in space, from unraveling Mars’ mysteries to expanding global broadband access. But here’s a question to leave you pondering: As private companies like Blue Origin and SpaceX take center stage, what does the future hold for government space agencies? Share your thoughts below—we’d love to hear your perspective!
