Blue Origin’s New Glenn Lifts Off NASA’s ESCAPADE Probe to Mars – How to Watch the Launch

Blue Origin is set to fire its heavy‑lift New Glenn rocket from Cape Canaveral’s Launch Complex 36, carrying NASA’s ESCAPADE (Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers) mission on a trajectory toward the Red Planet. The flight marks the second orbital launch for Jeff Bezos’s space venture and will also serve as a crucial test of New Glenn’s ability to recover its first‑stage booster for future reuse.The ESCAPADE spacecraft, a pair of 6‑U CubeSats built by the University of Colorado Boulder and the University of California, Berkeley, is designed to study the Martian ionosphere and how solar wind particles interact with the planet’s thin atmosphere. By orbiting Mars for up to 60 days, the probes will collect data that could improve models of atmospheric loss—a key factor in understanding how Mars transformed from a wetter world to the arid planet we see today.For Blue Origin, the launch is more than just a payload delivery. New Glenn’s first stage is equipped with a set of grid‑fins and a retro‑propulsion system that will attempt a controlled descent back to the Atlantic Ocean. If successful, the booster will be recovered by a fleet of autonomous recovery vessels, providing the company with valuable data on the feasibility of rapid‑turnaround, reusable heavy‑lift rockets.Launch details* Date and time: 22 November 2025, 13:47 UTC (09:47 a.m. ET) * Launch site: Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Launch Complex 36 * Vehicle: New Glenn, two‑stage, liquid‑hydrogen/oxygen rocket (≈ 45 m tall, 2,000 t lift‑off mass) * Payload: NASA ESCAPADE (two 6‑U CubeSats, ~ 12 kg total)NASA’s launch director, Bill Nelson, said, “ESCAPADE will give us a fresh look at Mars’ upper atmosphere at a time when the planet is experiencing a solar minimum, and New Glenn’s successful booster recovery would be a milestone for sustainable deep‑space exploration.”How to watch the launch* NASA TV: The live feed will be streamed on NASA TV’s website and on the NASA app. * Blue Origin’s website: A dedicated launch page (blueorigin.com/launches) will host a real‑time video stream, telemetry, and commentary from the company’s launch engineers. * YouTube: NASA’s official channel (NASA) and Blue Origin’s channel will simulcast the event; enable notifications to get a reminder when the stream goes live. * Social media: Follow @NASA, @BlueOrigin, and @ESCAPADEmission on Twitter/X and Instagram for minute‑by‑minute updates, behind‑the‑scenes photos, and post‑launch analysis. * Local news outlets: Many U.S. television stations in the Eastern Time Zone will carry the launch on their morning news programs; check local listings for “NASA Live” segments.For viewers who prefer a more technical view, the live stream will include a split‑screen mode showing both the external camera angles at the launch pad and the internal telemetry readouts, such as thrust levels, stage separation timing, and the booster’s descent profile.What to expect after liftoffAfter the first‑stage separation at roughly 2 minutes 45 seconds into flight, New Glenn’s booster will execute a series of engine burns to slow down and orient itself for a controlled ocean landing. Simultaneously, the second stage will ignite and accelerate the ESCAPADE CubeSats onto a trans‑Mars injection trajectory. The spacecraft will separate from the upper stage about 10 minutes after launch, after which it will begin its cruise phase toward Mars, with a planned arrival in early 2027.If the booster lands safely, Blue Origin plans to tow it back to port for inspection and refurbishment, aiming for a turnaround time comparable to that of SpaceX’s Falcon 9. A successful recovery would be a strong signal that reusable heavy‑lift rockets can support not only commercial satellite missions but also deep‑space science endeavors.The launch of ESCAPADE on New Glenn therefore represents a dual milestone: a new scientific probe heading for Mars and a pivotal step toward making large‑scale, reusable launch vehicles a routine part of humanity’s expansion into the solar system. Tune in on 22 November to witness both achievements unfold in real time.