Blue Origin's New Glenn Megarocket Successfully Launches NASA Satellites to Mars, Lands Booster Intact
In a crucial test flight for its ambitious New Glenn megarocket program, Blue Origin has successfully sent two NASA satellites on an 11-month journey to Mars. The twin ESCAPADE probes, which are worth $80 million each, were deployed from the New Glenn rocket's second stage shortly after stage separation and have now embarked on their interplanetary mission.
Meanwhile, the booster that carried the satellites - designated as "Never Tell Me the Odds" - touched down intact on a barge called Jacklyn in the Atlantic Ocean at approximately 4:04 p.m. ET on November 13, marking the first time Blue Origin has recovered a New Glenn booster. This milestone demonstrates the critical importance of booster recovery for New Glenn's rapid reusability.
The launch comes just hours after Blue Origin scrubbed its second attempt due to bad weather and severe space weather conditions caused by a geomagnetic storm. However, with the storm's severity having weakened slightly, the company has decided to proceed with today's launch.
In addition to launching NASA's ESCAPADE probes, New Glenn will also demonstrate its ability to recover booster via a soft landing on a barge in the Atlantic Ocean. If successful, this achievement would put New Glenn on par as a strong competitor for NASA science missions and national defense contracts, cementing Blue Origin's position at the forefront of commercial space exploration.
The risks associated with launching during a geomagnetic storm cannot be overstated, but it appears that Blue Origin has deemed them manageable enough to warrant another launch attempt today. With careful monitoring of space weather conditions by launch operators, there remains a chance that issues could arise and lead to an abort at the last minute.
In a crucial test flight for its ambitious New Glenn megarocket program, Blue Origin has successfully sent two NASA satellites on an 11-month journey to Mars. The twin ESCAPADE probes, which are worth $80 million each, were deployed from the New Glenn rocket's second stage shortly after stage separation and have now embarked on their interplanetary mission.
Meanwhile, the booster that carried the satellites - designated as "Never Tell Me the Odds" - touched down intact on a barge called Jacklyn in the Atlantic Ocean at approximately 4:04 p.m. ET on November 13, marking the first time Blue Origin has recovered a New Glenn booster. This milestone demonstrates the critical importance of booster recovery for New Glenn's rapid reusability.
The launch comes just hours after Blue Origin scrubbed its second attempt due to bad weather and severe space weather conditions caused by a geomagnetic storm. However, with the storm's severity having weakened slightly, the company has decided to proceed with today's launch.
In addition to launching NASA's ESCAPADE probes, New Glenn will also demonstrate its ability to recover booster via a soft landing on a barge in the Atlantic Ocean. If successful, this achievement would put New Glenn on par as a strong competitor for NASA science missions and national defense contracts, cementing Blue Origin's position at the forefront of commercial space exploration.
The risks associated with launching during a geomagnetic storm cannot be overstated, but it appears that Blue Origin has deemed them manageable enough to warrant another launch attempt today. With careful monitoring of space weather conditions by launch operators, there remains a chance that issues could arise and lead to an abort at the last minute.
. Like, people can't even agree on whether it's gross or not! Anyway, Blue Origin is trying to make space exploration more accessible and stuff... have you tried that new VR headset? It's actually pretty immersive, like being inside a rocket launch! 
I got a nice view of the Atlantic Ocean during my last flight, too. Never thought I'd see a rocket landing on water again! Guess it's not just sci-fi anymore 
, can you believe blue origin actually did it? 11 months to mars with nasa satellites is huge progress for commercial spaceflight 
. i'm glad they were able to recover the booster, that's a major milestone for reusable rockets 
. still kinda scary that those launch conditions were bad enough to scrub an attempt tho 
, hope everything stays stable now 
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11 months to Mars is crazy, but I'm so hyped for Blue Origin's progress! 
recovering boosters is huge, it's gonna change the game for space travel. NASA's ESCAPADE probes are gonna bring some serious science cred to the table 
. can't wait to see what's next for this ambitious program 
. i'm glad they were able to recover the booster tho, that's huge! i mean, who needs reusable rockets, right? 
Blue Origin's New Glenn megarocket is literally making history here. I'm loving how they recovered the booster intact - that's a huge milestone for reusability 
Blue Origin's success shows that you don't need fancy software or cutting-edge tech to get the job done... unless you want to be in the game for NASA contracts. Then it's a different story altogether. The government should be recognizing companies like SpaceX for their innovative work and not giving all the love to the "new kid on the block". It's time to level up our space program, not just because of economic benefits but also because we need someone to push the boundaries of what's possible. 
but seriously this is huge news for space tech and it shows that private companies can actually deliver on big projects like nasa's scientific missions. the fact that they had to scrub a launch just hours before due to bad weather is crazy though 
. but blue origin seems like they're on top of it now, and if everything goes smoothly, we might see a lot more nasa science missions and national defense contracts coming their way 
OMG I'm so stoked for Blue Origin!!! They just made history with this epic launch! 
I mean, sending two satellites to Mars on one rocket is no joke! And the fact that they recovered the booster after a soft landing in the Atlantic Ocean? Mind blown 
. The risks were definitely there with that geomagnetic storm, but I think Blue Origin showed us all that they're capable of handling anything the universe throws at them 
I'm beyond proud of Blue Origin for making this happen!!! They're literally changing the game with their New Glenn megarocket program! The fact that they were able to recover the booster intact is a HUGE milestone, not just for their company but for the entire space exploration community 
. The thing that really gets me excited is the potential for rapid reusability - it's like they're basically selling tickets to space and making it more accessible to everyone 
and they actually Landed the booster intact in the atlantic ocean like it was a game of space bingo 
. It's like a space-age game of bumper cars out there 
. I'm curious to see how this plays out, gonna be interesting to watch the next steps 
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. This launch and recovery thing is gonna change the game for space exploration for sure!
. anyway, i'm hyped to see how this all plays out in the coming months 