NASA Launches Twin ESCAPADE Orbiters to Mars: A New Era for Martian Science

NASA has taken a significant leap in Mars exploration with the successful launch of its ESCAPADE (Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers) mission in November 2025. The ESCAPADE mission marks a new chapter for Martian science, sending twin orbiters aboard Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket to unlock secrets about Mars’ dynamic atmosphere, magnetic field, and how solar storms shape the Red Planet’s environment. Here’s a comprehensive look at this milestone, the mission goals, and what to expect in the coming years.

NASA’s ESCAPADE Mission: Purpose and Technology

ESCAPADE is the first multi-spacecraft orbital science mission to Mars, featuring two identical orbiters designed to observe the planet from different vantage points at the same time. This innovative approach enables scientists to capture real-time responses of Mars’ magnetosphere—giving new insight into how the planet interacts with space weather and the Sun’s energetic outbursts.​

• Each orbiter closely tracks changes in the magnetic field and the Martian atmosphere, focusing on how particles and energy move around Mars and escape into space.​

• ESCAPADE will analyze how Mars' magnetic field directs energetic particles, how energy and momentum are transported from the solar wind, and the critical exchanges between Mars’ atmosphere and space.​

• The mission is managed by the Space Sciences Laboratory at UC Berkeley, in collaboration with NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Rocket Lab, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Advanced Space LLC, and Blue Origin.​

Recent Developments: Perseverance Rover and Sample Return

While ESCAPADE heads to Mars, NASA’s Perseverance rover continues its remarkable surface operations in Jezero Crater, where it has identified the most promising Martian rocks yet for signs of past microbial life. Perseverance has collected 30 rock and soil sample tubes, setting aside ten as a backup cache for future missions.

NASA is also reshaping its Mars Sample Return strategy, considering streamlined, cost-effective options to bring these valuable specimens to Earth by the mid-2030s at a reduced budget compared to previous projections. This would be a major leap forward in planetary science and the search for life beyond Earth.​

Why ESCAPADE Matters

ESCAPADE’s twin spacecraft will reveal how solar storms and the Sun’s particle emissions strip away Mars’ atmosphere—an ongoing process believed to have transformed Mars from a once-wet world to the arid planet we observe today. By understanding how Mars’ magnetic environment changes under different solar conditions, the mission will answer fundamental questions about the loss of its atmosphere and prospects for habitability, both past and future.​

• The mission pioneers the use of small, cost-effective orbiters for complex planetary science—demonstrating that major discoveries don’t always require large, expensive spacecraft.​

• The results will help shape future crewed and robotic missions to the Red Planet, improving predictions for solar storms and atmospheric escape.

Looking Ahead: The Future of Mars Science

ESCAPADE’s successful launch and Perseverance’s ongoing discoveries solidify NASA’s leadership in Mars research. With two new orbiters soon to be operational around Mars, scientists expect a flood of new data on the planet’s climate, atmospheric loss, and solar interactions. These findings will not only help decode Mars' ancient past, but also safeguard and guide future exploration, including human landings and long-term habitation.