ESCAPADE by Rocket Lab: status and timeline

Milestones

Next · Trans-Mars injection burn

ESCAPADE spacecraft completed and deliveredSep 2025Complete.
Spacecraft arrive at Cape Canaveral for launch prepSep 2025Complete.
Launch on Blue Origin's New Glenn (mission NG-2)13 Nov 2025Complete.
Spacecraft commissioning and orbital maneuversNov 2025Complete.
Loiter phase at Earth-Sun L2 pointNov 2025Complete.
Trans-Mars injection burnTarget Nov 2026Current milestone.
Arrival at Mars and orbit insertionTarget Sep 2027Not yet reached.
Science operations beginTarget Apr 2028Not yet reached.

Most important updates

Upcoming

Nov 2026Trans-Mars injection burnin about 3 weeks (next)
Sep 2027Arrival at Mars and orbit insertion
Apr 2028Science operations begin

Current obstacles

Deep space operationsOperating two spacecraft at Mars requires autonomous systems and ground-station communication with 3-22 minute light delays.
Long mission durationSpacecraft must survive ~2 years in interplanetary space and operate reliably at Mars for at least a year of science; any failure cannot be repaired.

Physics limits

Spacecraft size and massExplorer-class spacecraft are small and lightweight, limiting instrument complexity and thruster capacity for orbital adjustments at Mars.
Solar power and distanceAt Mars' distance from the Sun (1.5 AU), solar panels collect only 43% of Earth-orbit power; spacecraft rely on efficient power management and solar arrays optimized for dim lighting.

How it works

4 parts

Science Goal

Study Mars magnetosphere and atmospheric loss

Measures how solar particles interact with Mars' magnetic field and drive atmospheric escape.

Mission Design

Dual spacecraft in coordinated orbits

Two spacecraft orbit Mars in looping trajectories for simultaneous measurements at different locations.

Journey

Loiter and gravity assist

Spacecraft loiter near Earth's L2 point for ~12 months, then use Earth gravity assist toward Mars.

Instruments

Plasma and magnetic field sensors

Spacecraft carry sensors to measure solar wind protons and electrons, Mars' magnetic field, and ionospheric plasma, returning hourly science data.

Spec sheet

Spec	ESCAPADE
Identical spacecraft	2 (Blue and Gold)^R (reported)
Design class	Explorer-class^R (reported)
Launch vehicle	Blue Origin New Glenn (NG-2)^R (reported)
Launch location	Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida^R (reported)
Launch date	2025-11-13^R (reported)
Planned Mars arrival	September 2027^R (reported)
Science lead	UC Berkeley Space Sciences Laboratory^R (reported)

^R reported by the company

Update log

2 updates

Thu 13 Nov 2025

Major: Rocket Lab's ESCAPADE twin spacecraft launch on Blue Origin's New Glenn; begin journey to MarsPressHardware

Sep 2025

Major: Rocket Lab completes ESCAPADE spacecraft and delivers to Cape Canaveral for November 2025 New Glenn launchPressManufacturing

About Rocket Lab

The team behind ESCAPADE

Rocket Lab

Electron, Neutron, satellites, parts

Rocket Lab flies the small Electron rocket from New Zealand and Virginia and is building the reusable, bigger Neutron. It also builds satellites and satellite parts, and US military satellites.

Electron is the second most-flown US-operated orbital rocket after Falcon 9.
Neutron's first flight slipped to no earlier than Q4 2026 after a tank failed in testing in Jan 2026.
Satellites and parts make most of its money; it built NASA's ESCAPADE Mars probes.

rocketlabusa.com (opens rocketlabusa.com)Company profile →

Founded: 200620 yrs
Headquarters: United StatesNew Zealand
Status: Public
Listed: RKLB (opens google.com)NASDAQ
Valuation: public
Works in: SpaceflightLaunch
Coverage: 4 programs · 16 updateslatest 1d agochecked 25 Sep
Customers: NASA (opens nasa.gov)Space Development Agency (opens sda.mil)
Partners: Blue Origin
People: Peter Beck (opens en.wikipedia.org)Founder and CEO

Spec

ESCAPADE

Identical spacecraft

2 (Blue and Gold)^R (reported)

Design class

Explorer-class^R (reported)

Launch vehicle

Blue Origin New Glenn (NG-2)^R (reported)

Launch location

Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida^R (reported)

Launch date

2025-11-13^R (reported)

Planned Mars arrival

September 2027^R (reported)

Science lead

UC Berkeley Space Sciences Laboratory^R (reported)