NASA to launch Mars mission on Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket

The New Glenn rocket is larger in size but similar to New Shepard, which has transported several celebrities including Bezos himself into space. Despite its first flight being originally scheduled for 2021, New Glenn is yet to be ready for a mission.

“ESCAPADE is a task order under NASA's Venture-Class Acquisition of Dedicated and Rideshare (VADR) launch services contract, which, last year, assigned a maximum of $300 million to be split among 13 companies for launch services of various kinds," Blue Origin said.

Blue Origin was added to the NASA VADR launch services Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract on January 26, 2022, with a five-year performance period, the company noted.

Senior Vice President of New Glenn at Blue Origin Jarrett Jones stated that ESCAPADE is part of a rich legacy of NASA Mars science and exploration missions. He also expressed his excitement that NASA's Launch Services Program has chosen New Glenn to launch the instruments for the study of Mars' magnetosphere.

Most recently, a rocket from the space company failed mid-flight shortly after liftoff and crashed into a Texas desert in September 2022. There are no reported injuries and all personnel had been accounted for.

The rocket that had crashed had flown eight times before. Blue Origin flew New Shepard 15 times before its first crewed flight. While New Glenn is yet to be completed, it remains to be seen how many times it'll be tested before NASA's missions.