Blue Origin has set a launch date for its New Glenn rocket and a NASA payload bound for Mars. NASA announced Friday that the first flight will occur by Oct. 13 to help NASA study the effects of solar wind on the Martian atmosphere. That date, the developmental first flight of New Glenn, falls exactly halfway between Mars trips, which occur roughly every two years based on the alignment of the planets. The launch window begins Sept. 29 and runs through mid-October. .
The mission will launch from Space Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. It is part of NASA’s twin spacecraft, Escape and the Plasma Acceleration Dynamics Exploration mission (Escapade). Preparation and integration with the launch vehicle will begin on August 19th.
Now, pressure is on Blue Origin, the company founded by Jeff Bezos, to complete the New Glenn mission by a deadline. The company recently suffered two malfunctions at its factories that damaged hardware needed for New Glenn’s second and third flights, the company reported Wednesday, but a spokesman told the paper it remains on track for its first launch this year.
