Blue Origin achieved a successful launch of its impressive New Glenn rocket on Thursday, transporting two NASA spacecraft en route to Mars. This marks just the rocket’s second flight, as both Blue Origin and NASA anticipate it will eventually carry personnel and supplies to the moon.
Soaring to a height of 321 feet (98 meters), the New Glenn rocket burst into the afternoon sky from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, initiating a lengthy journey for NASA’s twin Mars rovers to the Red Planet. The launch was delayed by four days due to inclement weather and a solar storm, which created auroras visible as far south as Florida.
In a significant achievement for the emerging company, Blue Origin successfully retrieved the booster after its separation from the upper stage and the Mars rover. This step is vital for cost reduction and reusability, mirroring SpaceX’s operational model. Company employees erupted in cheers as the booster landed upright on a barge 375 miles (600 kilometers) offshore, with an elated Bezos observing from launch control.
“Next time it’s the moon!” the employees chanted excitedly after the centerpiece of the booster landed. Twenty minutes later, the upper stage of the rocket deployed the two Mars rovers into space, fulfilling the primary goal of the mission.
The New Glenn conducted its inaugural test flight in January, successfully placing a prototype satellite into orbit, though it did not manage to land its booster on a floating platform in the Atlantic Ocean.
The twin Mars rover, named Escapade, will remain near Earth for a year at a distance of 1 mile (1.5 kilometers). Once Earth and Mars are ideally aligned next fall, they will utilize gravity assist from Earth to travel to the Red Planet, with an expected arrival in 2027.
During its orbit around Mars, the spacecraft will map the planet’s upper atmosphere and diffuse magnetic field, studying their interactions with solar wind. The data collected will enhance understanding of the processes driving the loss of Mars’ atmosphere and provide insights into how the planet transitioned from a wet and warm environment to its current dry and dusty state. Researchers will also investigate ways to protect astronauts from the intense radiation present on Mars.
“We are eager to gain a deeper understanding of how the solar wind interacts with Mars,” stated Escapade’s lead scientist Rob Lillis from the University of California, Berkeley, ahead of the launch. “Escapade offers a unique opportunity with two spacecraft operating simultaneously, granting us an unprecedented stereo perspective.”
This relatively cost-effective mission is budgeted at less than $80 million and is managed by the University of California, Berkeley. Initially slated for last fall, the launch of the Mars rover was postponed due to issues related to Blue Origin’s new rocket.
The New Glenn rocket, named in honor of John Glenn, the first American to orbit the Earth, is significantly larger than Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket, which caters to affluent passengers traveling to the edge of space from West Texas. Blue Origin is also set to launch a demonstration mission for its prototype lunar lander, Blue Moon, aboard New Glenn in the upcoming months.
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Founded in 2000 by Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, Blue Origin holds a contract with NASA for the third astronaut lunar landing under the Artemis program. In contrast, SpaceX, led by Elon Musk, utilized its Starship rocket—approximately 100 feet (30 meters) taller than New Glenn—to successfully complete the first two crewed lunar landings.
However, last month, NASA’s acting administrator Sean Duffy reinstated the contract for the initial manned moon landing, expressing concerns regarding the pace of progress on Starship’s testing from Texas. Both Blue Origin and SpaceX have put forth preliminary plans for landing.
Plans are underway for NASA to send astronauts around the moon early next year using its own Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, followed by the Artemis crew’s attempt to land. The space agency aims to surpass China’s mission and return astronauts to the moon within the next decade.
Source: www.theguardian.com
