"New Glenn to Launch NASA's Mars Smallsat Mission"

NASA's Mars smallsat mission, ESCAPADE, is expected to be on the inaugural launch of Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket within a year, although there are risks associated with the rocket's readiness and schedule. The ESCAPADE mission aims to study the interaction of the solar wind with Mars' magnetosphere. The launch is considered an ambitious first mission for New Glenn, and NASA is willing to accept some risk due to the mission's classification as "class D." The contracting approach used for ESCAPADE, called VADR, limits NASA's insight and confidence in determining the launch readiness.