ESCAPADE: NASA and Blue Origin’s Mission to Mars The Twin Spacecraft Exploring Mars’ Magnetic Field and Atmosphere In late 2025, humanity will take another bold step toward understanding the Red Planet. NASA, in collaboration with Blue Origin, is preparing to launch the ESCAPADE mission—a groundbreaking scientific journey that will send two small spacecraft, nicknamed Blue and Gold, to orbit Mars. Their mission: to uncover how the solar wind interacts with Mars’ magnetic field and why the planet has lost most of its atmosphere over time. This book takes you inside that mission its goals, its technology, and the powerful partnership between a government space agency and a private company that’s changing how we explore the cosmos. A New Era of Mars Exploration For decades, NASA has led the way in unraveling Mars’ mysteries. From rovers like Curiosity and Perseverance to orbiters like MAVEN, each mission has revealed new clues about the planet’s past. Yet one question has remained unsolved: what caused Mars to lose its once-thick atmosphere and become a dry, cold world? The ESCAPADE mission short for Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers—aims to provide the missing piece of that puzzle. The twin orbiters will study how streams of charged particles from the Sun, known as the solar wind, strip gases away from Mars’ upper atmosphere. By tracking these interactions in real time, scientists hope to better understand how Mars evolved from a once-habitable planet into the desert world we see today. NASA and Blue Origin: A Partnership Built for the Future This mission is more than a scientific milestone—it’s a symbol of a growing partnership between NASA and the private space industry. For the first time, Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket will be used for an interplanetary launch, marking a historic leap for the company founded by Jeff Bezos. NASA brings decades of deep-space experience, while Blue Origin contributes innovation, cost-efficiency, and next-generation rocket design. Together, they’re pioneering a new model for space exploration—one where government and private companies collaborate to reach further and faster than ever before. This book explores how that partnership works, what makes it effective, and why it could redefine the future of interplanetary exploration. The Twin Spacecraft: Blue and Gold The ESCAPADE mission’s two identical orbiters—called Blue and Gold—represent a unique approach to planetary science. Each will travel to Mars and enter a slightly different orbit around the planet. Working together, they’ll provide a 3D view of the Martian magnetosphere, measuring how the solar wind affects it over time. By comparing data from both spacecraft, scientists will gain deeper insight into the forces shaping Mars’ upper atmosphere and the role of magnetism in protecting (or failing to protect) a planet’s air from space weather. The results could reshape how we understand planetary habitability across the solar system. A Milestone for Blue Origin’s New Glenn Rocket The launch of ESCAPADE will also mark the second flight of Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket—and its first-ever interplanetary mission. This is a defining moment for the company as it transitions from near-Earth operations to the deep-space frontier. The mission will test New Glenn’s ability to deliver scientific payloads far beyond Earth orbit, paving the way for future missions to Mars, the Moon, and beyond. Through this collaboration, NASA is not only conducting cutting-edge science—it’s also helping build a stronger commercial spaceflight industry capable of supporting human exploration in the decades ahead.