# EscaPADE Blue

> spacecraft designed to conduct heliophysics research in orbit of Mars

**Wikidata**: [Q136788656](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q136788656)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/escapade-blue

## Summary
EscaPADE Blue is one of two twin EscaPADE spacecraft — a small orbiter and research satellite built to conduct heliophysics and plasma studies at Mars. It was manufactured by Rocket Lab (Explorer bus), operated by the Space Sciences Laboratory and NASA, and launched on New Glenn (NG2) on 2025-11-13.

## Key Facts
- EscaPADE Blue is an EscaPADE mission spacecraft (aliases: EscaPADE 1, Blue) designed to conduct heliophysics research in orbit of Mars.  
- Launch date and time: 2025-11-13 at 20:55 UTC; launch site: Cape Canaveral Launch Complex 36; launch vehicle: New Glenn NG2; launch contractor: Blue Origin.  
- Mass: launch/launch weight 535 kg; dry mass 209 kg.  
- Dimensions: width 1.09 m; height 1.65 m; length 1.20 m.  
- Orbit (areocentric mission parameters): periapsis ~160 km and apoapsis ~8,400 km. The spacecraft also operates in a heliocentric phase as part of mission trajectory planning.  
- Spacecraft bus: Explorer; manufacturer / prime contractor for the spacecraft: Rocket Lab.  
- Instrument contributors / manufacturers: University of California, Los Angeles (magnetometer); Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University (Langmuir probe); Northern Arizona University (camera).  
- Power: two spacecraft solar arrays providing 288 W (spacecraft solar array, 2 arrays, 288 W).  
- Operator(s): Space Sciences Laboratory (University of California, Berkeley) and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).  
- Identifiers: SCN 66451; COSPAR ID 2025-260A.

## FAQs
### Q: What is EscaPADE Blue?
A: EscaPADE Blue is a Mars-orbiting research satellite (orbiter) in the EscaPADE mission, built to study heliophysics, plasma, and atmospheric escape processes at Mars. It flies as one of two twin spacecraft (Blue and Gold).

### Q: When and how was EscaPADE Blue launched?
A: EscaPADE Blue was launched on 2025-11-13 at 20:55 UTC from Cape Canaveral Launch Complex 36 aboard Blue Origin’s New Glenn NG2 rocket; Blue Origin was the launch contractor.

### Q: Who built and operates EscaPADE Blue?
A: The spacecraft prime contractor/manufacturer is Rocket Lab (Explorer bus). It is operated by the Space Sciences Laboratory (UC Berkeley) in cooperation with NASA, with scientific instruments contributed by UCLA, Embry–Riddle, and Northern Arizona University.

### Q: What are the spacecraft’s size, mass, and power specifications?
A: The spacecraft measures about 1.20 m long, 1.09 m wide, and 1.65 m tall, with a launch mass of 535 kg and a dry mass of 209 kg. It uses two solar arrays producing 288 W.

## Why It Matters
EscaPADE Blue is significant because it is part of a focused, cost-effective mission to probe Mars’s plasma environment and atmospheric escape processes using twin small spacecraft. By operating as one of two coordinated satellites (Blue and Gold), EscaPADE can make simultaneous, multipoint measurements of the Martian space environment over a wide range of altitudes (periapsis ~160 km to apoapsis ~8,400 km). Those measurements address key heliophysics questions about how the solar wind and space weather interact with Mars and drive loss of its atmosphere. The mission leverages a compact Explorer-class bus, modular university-built instruments (magnetometer, Langmuir probe, camera), and modern commercial launch and manufacturing partners (Blue Origin and Rocket Lab). Its relatively small size and focused instrument complement make EscaPADE Blue an example of how targeted, distributed spacecraft can provide high-value science at lower cost, improving our understanding of planetary atmospheric evolution and solar-planet interactions.

## Notable For
- Being one half of the twin-spacecraft EscaPADE mission (Blue and Gold) designed for coordinated multipoint measurements at Mars.  
- Small Explorer-class orbiter manufactured by Rocket Lab and using an Explorer bus to deliver heliophysics science at Mars.  
- Launch on Blue Origin’s New Glenn NG2 (launch contractor: Blue Origin) from Cape Canaveral LC-36 on 2025-11-13.  
- Instrument contributions from academic partners: UCLA (magnetometer), Embry–Riddle (Langmuir probe), Northern Arizona University (camera).  
- Operational areocentric orbit with periapsis ~160 km and apoapsis ~8,400 km, enabling measurements across a large range of Martian altitudes.

## Body

### Overview
- Name: EscaPADE Blue (aliases: EscaPADE 1, Blue).  
- Role: Research satellite / orbiter for heliophysics and plasma studies at Mars.  
- Part of: EscaPADE (Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers) mission.

### Mission & Orbit
- Launch date/time: 2025-11-13 at 20:55 UTC.  
- Launch site: Cape Canaveral Launch Complex 36.  
- Launch vehicle: New Glenn (NG2).  
- Launch contractor: Blue Origin.  
- Orbit types recorded: heliocentric phase (interplanetary cruise) and areocentric (Mars-centered) operational orbit.  
- Areocentric orbital parameters (mission capabilities): periapsis ~160 km; apoapsis ~8,400 km.

### Spacecraft Design & Specifications
- Spacecraft bus: Explorer.  
- Manufacturer / prime contractor (spacecraft): Rocket Lab.  
- Mass: launch weight 535 kg; dry mass 209 kg.  
- Dimensions: length 1.20 m; width 1.09 m; height 1.65 m.  
- Power: two spacecraft solar arrays producing 288 W.

### Instruments & Scientific Contributors
- Magnetometer: provided by University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).  
- Langmuir probe: provided by Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University.  
- Camera: provided by Northern Arizona University.  
- Mission science focus: heliophysics, plasma, and atmospheric escape processes at Mars.

### Operations & Management
- Operators: Space Sciences Laboratory (University of California, Berkeley) and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).  
- Part of a coordinated twin-satellite mission (EscaPADE Blue and EscaPADE Gold) for multipoint measurements.

### Identifiers & Records
- SCN (Satellite Catalog Number): 66451.  
- COSPAR ID: 2025-260A.

## Schema Markup
```json
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Thing",
  "name": "EscaPADE Blue",
  "description": "EscaPADE Blue is a Mars-orbiting research satellite and orbiter designed to conduct heliophysics and plasma studies as part of the twin-spacecraft EscaPADE mission.",
  "additionalType": "orbiter, research satellite"
}

## References

1. [NASA's new Mars mission: These twin satellites could reveal how the Red Planet lost its atmosphere. space.com. 2025](https://www.space.com/space-exploration/missions/nasas-new-mars-mission-these-twin-satellites-could-reveal-how-the-red-planet-lost-its-atmosphere)
2. [Source](https://escapade.ssl.berkeley.edu/spacecraft/)
3. [Twin Mars spacecraft arrive in Florida for launch on Blue Origin's powerful New Glenn rocket. space.com. 2025](https://www.space.com/space-exploration/launches-spacecraft/twin-mars-spacecraft-arrive-in-florida-for-launch-on-blue-origins-powerful-new-glenn-rocket-photo)
4. [Source](https://www.ssl.berkeley.edu/solar-system-planetary/escapade/)
5. [Source](https://news.nau.edu/escapade-launch/)
6. Jonathan's Space Report
7. [Source](https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/14642/#media_group_375172)
8. [Source](https://space.skyrocket.de/doc_sdat/escapade.htm)
9. [Source](https://rocketlabcorp.com/missions/upcoming-missions/misson-to-mars-escapade/)
10. [EscaPADE (Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers) - eoPortal](https://www.eoportal.org/satellite-missions/escapade#mission-capabilities)