News2 sources

ESCAPADE on its way to Mars after Earth flybys

The Brief · written from 2 sources

Two NASA ESCAPADE smallsats have completed flybys of Earth and are headed toward Mars.
The flybys came nearly a year after launch, and Space.com describes the double gravity assist as unprecedented.
The spacecraft launched in November 2025 on the second-ever flight of Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket.

Why it matters

The maneuver shows that a pair of small spacecraft can use a double Earth gravity assist to reach Mars, a technique that could inform future low-cost interplanetary missions.

Who’s affected

planetary scientists and space mission engineers
readers following NASA's Mars missions

#mars
#nasa
#escapade
#gravity-assist
#smallsats
#space-missions

Two NASA smallsats are headed toward Mars after completing flybys of Earth nearly a year after their launch. The post ESCAPADE on its way to Mars after Earth flybys appeared first on SpaceNews .

Read the full story at spacenews.com ↗