The New Zealand-founded launch and space systems company confirmed that the twin Explorer Class spacecraft, nicknamed Blue and Gold, will form part of NASA’s Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers (ESCAPADE) mission, developed in partnership with the University of California, Berkeley’s Space Sciences Laboratory.
Rocket Lab completed the design, build, integration and testing of the pair in just three and a half years, a rapid turnaround for a Mars mission. The company credited its vertically integrated supply chain for the achievement, with key components such as solar arrays, star trackers, reaction wheels, radios, propellant tanks and flight software manufactured in-house.
Based on Rocket Lab’s Explorer spacecraft platform, ESCAPADE is part of NASA’s Small Innovative Missions for Planetary Exploration program, which aims to deliver high-value science at lower cost and on tighter timelines than traditional billion-dollar deep space projects.
During their 22-month journey to the Red Planet, Blue and Gold will travel together before splitting into complementary elliptical orbits around Mars. From there, they will capture simultaneous data from two regions of the planet’s magnetosphere, allowing scientists to better understand how the solar wind strips away atmospheric particles. The research is expected to shed light on the history of Mars’ atmosphere, its space weather environment, and inform future human exploration strategies.
Rocket Lab founder and chief executive Sir Peter Beck said the mission embodied the company’s purpose.
“ESCAPADE is a perfect example of why Rocket Lab exists – to make ambitious space science faster and more affordable,” Beck said.
“Delivering two interplanetary spacecraft on schedule and within budget for a Mars mission is no small feat. Our team has proven that we can take a concept from design to Mars readiness in just a few short years. This won’t be Rocket Lab’s last time at Mars, with projects like the Mars Telecommunications Orbiter already on the horizon.”
ESCAPADE’s principal investigator, Dr Rob Lillis of UC Berkeley, said the mission had been years in the making.
“It’s been a long road, but we are so excited to be launching Blue and Gold on their mission to understand the Martian space weather environment,” Lillis said.
“Through the usual ups and downs, Rocket Lab has been right alongside NASA and UC Berkeley, supporting us every step of the way.”
The spacecraft are now undergoing post-transport inspections and functional tests at the Kennedy Space Center ahead of propellant loading and integration with their launch vehicle. The mission is scheduled to lift-off no earlier than this northern autumn aboard Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket.