posted 02-09-2023 05:59 PM               

Misson To Mars - Escapade

Twin Photon spacecraft helping to study Mars' unique hybrid magnetosphere

In 2021 Rocket Lab was awarded a subcontract by the University of California Berkeley Space Sciences Laboratory (UCBSSL) to design two Photon spacecraft for a scientific mission to Mars.

Above: Illustration of the ESCAPADE spacecraft in orbit around Mars. (Rocket Lab USA/UC Berkeley)

The Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers (ESCAPADE) mission, led by Rob Lillis at UCBSSL, is a twin-spacecraft science mission that will orbit two spacecraft around Mars to understand the structure, composition, variability, and dynamics of Mars' unique hybrid magnetosphere. The mission will leverage its unique dual viewpoint on the Mars environment to explore how the solar wind strips atmosphere away from Mars to better understand how its climate has changed over time.

ESCAPADE is being developed under NASA's Small Innovative Missions for Planetary Exploration (SIMPLEx) program in the Science Mission Directorate (SMD). The mission is led by UCBSSL with spacecraft design provided by Rocket Lab.

The two spacecraft are planned for launch in 2024 to Mars ridesharing aboard a NASA-provided commercial launch vehicle.

posted 02-09-2023 06:00 PM               

NASA's ESCAPADE Mission – Twin Martian Orbiters – Moves Toward Launch

NASA's Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers, or ESCAPADE mission, passed a mission review on August 17, 2021, moving the mission into its next phase with a new target launch readiness date of October 2024.

The review, Key Decision Point C, evaluated the mission's preliminary design and project plan to achieve launch by its target launch readiness date. With the successful review, ESCAPADE now moves into phase C, which includes the final design of the mission and building of the instruments.

"We are thrilled to pass this critical milestone, the culmination of two years of science and engineering work from a talented and dedicated team at UC Berkeley and our partners," said Rob Lillis, space physicist at UC Berkeley and principal investigator for ESCAPADE. "We're very excited to now move towards final designs, assembly, test, launch and get on our way to Mars."

ESCAPADE consists of two identical interplanetary Photon spacecraft developed by Rocket Lab. Both spacecraft are about the size of a mini-fridge and weigh no more than about 250 pounds (120 kilograms) excluding fuel.

"This is a hugely promising mission that will deliver big science in a small package," said Peter Beck, Rocket Lab founder and CEO. "Our Photon spacecraft for ESCAPADE will demonstrate a more cost-effective approach to planetary exploration that will increase the science community's access to our solar system for the better. I'm thrilled that the hard work and dedication of the engineering teams at UC Berkeley and Rocket Lab to date have paid off and the mission has been approved by NASA to begin final design and building."

Launching no earlier than January 2024, the twin ESCAPADE spacecraft will spend 11 months in interplanetary space before entering a highly elliptical orbit around Mars. They will spend six months gradually descending into the same nominal science orbit like pearls on a string, passing within 100 miles (160 kilometers) of the Martian surface at closest approach.

"For ESCAPADE, we're evaluating a number of rideshare options to enable this critically important science while also lowering costs," said Alan Zide, program executive for the mission at NASA HQ.

ESCAPADE will study how Mars' magnetosphere – the magnetized area of space around the planet – interacts with the solar wind, and the processes driving its atmospheric escape.

"This constellation of two satellites at Mars will answer big questions about the atmosphere and the solar wind in real time," said Shannon Curry, project scientist for the mission at UC Berkeley.

"With simultaneous two-point observations, ESCAPADE will bring us the first 'stereo' picture of this highly dynamic environment," Lillis added.

Using instruments to measure magnetic fields, ions, and electrons, the ESCAPADE spacecraft will analyze how Mars' magnetic field guides particle flows around the planet; how energy and momentum are transported from the solar wind through Mars' magnetosphere; and what processes control the flow of energy and matter into and out of the atmosphere.

"Our heliophysics decadal surveys" – the community-wide survey used to set NASA's scientific objectives – "have identified the scientific need to study the space environments of other planets," said Jared Leisner, ESCAPADE program scientist at NASA HQ. "By studying the same processes at different planets, we gain key insights into how they function both at Earth and at other planets beyond the solar system."

ESCAPADE is led by the University of California, Berkeley. The mission is managed by the Planetary Mission Program Office at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center. ESCAPADE is part of the NASA Small Innovative Missions for Planetary Exploration (SIMPLEx) program and is funded through the Heliophysics Division at NASA HQ.

posted 02-09-2023 06:01 PM               

NASA Selects Blue Origin to Launch Mars' Magnetosphere Study Mission

NASA has awarded Blue Origin, LLC of Kent, Washington a task order to provide launch service for the agency's Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers (ESCAPADE) mission as part of the agency's Venture-Class Acquisition of Dedicated and Rideshare (VADR) launch services contract.

ESCAPADE will launch on Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket from Space Launch Complex-36 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Launch is targeted for late 2024. Blue Origin is one of 13 companies NASA selected for VADR contracts in 2022. NASA's Launch Services Program, based at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, manages the VADR contracts. As part of VADR, the fixed-price indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contracts have a five-year ordering period with a maximum total value of $300 million across all contracts.

ESCAPADE will study Mars' magnetosphere – the magnetized area of space around the planet – using two identical small spacecraft, which will provide simultaneous two-point observations. The spacecraft will help provide researchers a better understanding of how the magnetosphere interacts with the solar wind, and how energy and plasma enter and leave the magnetosphere. Each satellite will carry three instruments: a magnetometer for measuring magnetic field, an electrostatic analyzer to measure ions and electrons, and a Langmuir probe for measuring plasma density and solar extreme ultraviolet flux.

It will take ESCAPADE about 11 months to arrive at Mars after leaving Earth's orbit, where both spacecraft will spend several months adjusting their orbits before they are in position to best capture data about the magnetosphere. Studying different magnetospheres gives scientists a better understanding of space weather, which can protect astronauts and satellites both as they orbit Earth and explore the solar system. ESCAPADE is part of the NASA Small Innovative Missions for Planetary Exploration program.

Building on NASA's previous procurement efforts to foster development of new launch vehicles for NASA payloads, VADR provides FAA-licensed commercial launch services for payloads that can tolerate higher risk. By using a lower level of mission assurance, and commercial best practices for launching rockets, these highly flexible contracts help broaden access to space through lower launch costs.

posted 09-06-2024 01:55 PM               

NASA Stands Down from October Launch for ESCAPADE to Mars

NASA announced Friday it will not fuel the two ESCAPADE (Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers) spacecraft at this time, foregoing the mission's upcoming October launch window. While future launch opportunities are under review, the next possible earliest launch date is spring 2025.

The agency's decision to stand down was based on a review of launch preparations and discussions with Blue Origin, the Federal Aviation Administration, and Space Launch Delta 45 Range Safety Organization, as well as NASA's Launch Services Program and Science Mission Directorate. The decision was made to avoid significant cost, schedule, and technical challenges associated with potentially removing fuel from the spacecraft in the event of a launch delay, which could be caused by a number of factors.

"This mission can help us study the atmosphere at Mars — key information as we explore farther and farther into our solar system and need to protect astronauts and spacecraft from space weather," said Nicky Fox, associate administrator for science at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "We're committed to seeing ESCAPADE safely into space, and I look forward to seeing it off the ground and on its trip to Mars."

The alignment of Earth and Mars constrains ESCAPADE's windows of launch opportunities to the Red Planet. This means that small schedule changes can result in months-long delays in launch. The mission team is analyzing larger planetary window opportunities. NASA and Blue Origin are discussing an additional opportunity to launch the spacecraft to Mars no earlier than spring 2025.

"This is an important mission for NASA, and it's critical we have sufficient margin in our prelaunch work to ensure we are ready to fly a tight planetary window," said Bradley Smith, NASA's Launch Services Office director at NASA Headquarters.