Blue Origin Successfully Launches Rocket with NASA's Twin Mars Orbiters
In a significant milestone, Jeff Bezos's Blue Origin successfully launched its New Glenn rocket into the afternoon sky from Cape Canaveral, sending two NASA spacecraft, Escapade, on a journey to Mars. The twin orbiters are equipped with state-of-the-art instruments designed to study the Martian upper atmosphere and scattered magnetic fields.
The 321-foot-tall New Glenn rocket overcame four days of inclement weather and solar storms to reach its destination, marking the second flight of the vehicle. What's notable is that Blue Origin successfully recovered the booster following its separation from the upper stage, a feat similar to SpaceX's approach. The booster landed upright on a barge 600 miles offshore, a testament to the company's innovative design.
Bezos himself watched the launch from control, as employees celebrated wildly upon witnessing the booster's precision landing. The mission's main objective is met with the deployment of the two Mars orbiters in space just 20 minutes after liftoff.
The Escapade twin spacecraft will spend a year in Earth's vicinity, stationing themselves at a distance of approximately 1 million miles. Once Earth and Mars are properly aligned next fall, the duo will receive a gravity assist from our planet to head towards the Red Planet, arriving in 2027.
Scientists are eager to study how the solar wind interacts with Mars' atmosphere, shedding light on the processes behind the escaping Martian atmosphere. The observations should also provide valuable insights into protecting astronauts against Mars' harsh radiation environment.
The relatively low-budget mission, valued at under $80 million, is managed and operated by UC Berkeley. While it's a significant milestone for Blue Origin, the company still faces stiff competition from SpaceX, which beat out Bezos' firm for the first two crewed moon landings using its Starship rocket.
However, Nasa recently reopened the contract for the third moon landing, citing concerns over SpaceX's progress in flight tests. Blue Origin and SpaceX have presented accelerated landing plans, with NASA aiming to send astronauts around the moon early next year using its own Space Launch System, or SLS, rocket. The space agency is under pressure to surpass a Chinese mission by decade's end.
In a significant milestone, Jeff Bezos's Blue Origin successfully launched its New Glenn rocket into the afternoon sky from Cape Canaveral, sending two NASA spacecraft, Escapade, on a journey to Mars. The twin orbiters are equipped with state-of-the-art instruments designed to study the Martian upper atmosphere and scattered magnetic fields.
The 321-foot-tall New Glenn rocket overcame four days of inclement weather and solar storms to reach its destination, marking the second flight of the vehicle. What's notable is that Blue Origin successfully recovered the booster following its separation from the upper stage, a feat similar to SpaceX's approach. The booster landed upright on a barge 600 miles offshore, a testament to the company's innovative design.
Bezos himself watched the launch from control, as employees celebrated wildly upon witnessing the booster's precision landing. The mission's main objective is met with the deployment of the two Mars orbiters in space just 20 minutes after liftoff.
The Escapade twin spacecraft will spend a year in Earth's vicinity, stationing themselves at a distance of approximately 1 million miles. Once Earth and Mars are properly aligned next fall, the duo will receive a gravity assist from our planet to head towards the Red Planet, arriving in 2027.
Scientists are eager to study how the solar wind interacts with Mars' atmosphere, shedding light on the processes behind the escaping Martian atmosphere. The observations should also provide valuable insights into protecting astronauts against Mars' harsh radiation environment.
The relatively low-budget mission, valued at under $80 million, is managed and operated by UC Berkeley. While it's a significant milestone for Blue Origin, the company still faces stiff competition from SpaceX, which beat out Bezos' firm for the first two crewed moon landings using its Starship rocket.
However, Nasa recently reopened the contract for the third moon landing, citing concerns over SpaceX's progress in flight tests. Blue Origin and SpaceX have presented accelerated landing plans, with NASA aiming to send astronauts around the moon early next year using its own Space Launch System, or SLS, rocket. The space agency is under pressure to surpass a Chinese mission by decade's end.
omg i cant believe blue origin finally pulled this off! 
i was worried they'd get cancelled cuz of all the bad press they got from that failed new Shepard test flight back in 2019 
but it looks like jeff bezos and his team really worked hard to make this happen 
i'm hyped for them to finally join the party on the moon landing scene too! 
does anyone think they'll be able to beat spacy in the long run tho? 
that new sls rocket from nasa is gonna give them a serious challenge 
! Blue Origin totally slayed it with the New Glenn rocket and all. I mean, four days of bad weather? That's crazy talk 
. And to recover the booster like that? Genius 
. The fact that NASA's getting these twin Mars orbiters up there is like, whoa 
. We're gonna learn so much about the Martian upper atmosphere and magnetic fields. I'm low-key excited for the gravity assist next fall 
. SpaceX might be ahead of them in crewed moon landings, but Blue Origin just proved they're a force to be reckoned with 
️. Can't wait to see what else these orbiters bring back 
!
I'm loving this milestone for Blue Origin! It's crazy how far Bezos' company has come since SpaceX started pushing them around in the space game 
they're really gonna give spacex a run for their money now. and $80 million budget is pretty sweet too, considering all the cutting edge tech they packed into those twin orbiters 
. The fact that they recovered the booster is a total game-changer - it's like, whoa! That means they can reuse that tech and save some cash, which is awesome for space exploration 
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. It's all about understanding how the solar wind affects the Martian atmosphere, and it's like, totally crucial for protecting astronauts when they visit the Red Planet 
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, but I'm rooting for Blue Origin to stay in the game. And hey, NASA is pushing them hard to get those moon landings right, so let's see how this plays out! 
. And can you believe Bezos himself was watching from control? That's some next-level tech right there 
. I gotta say though, I'm a bit skeptical about Blue Origin trying to catch up with SpaceX - those guys are like space robots or something 
... still super talented and innovative though! The fact that they recovered the booster on its own is just wild 
. Can't wait for 2027 when we might get some actual answers about Mars' atmosphere and radiation 
. The fact that NASA's giving them another chance for the moon landing contract is like, yay 
. SpaceX might be ahead of them now, but I think Blue Origin's got some tricks up their sleeve too 
. It'll be interesting to see how this whole thing plays out 
.
. Maybe they'll actually get some decent data out of it? 
, gotta wonder what NASA would've done if they had won that first moon landing contract 
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. Can't wait to see what kind of insights scientists will gain from studying the Martian upper atmosphere and magnetic fields 
#BlueOrigin #MarsOrbiters 
recovering the booster is like 10x harder than landing it and they made it look effortless 
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guess who won this round but let's be real SpaceX still the OG space race and Blue Origin gonna need some serious upgrades if they wanna keep up