Friday, August 1, 2025

Latest

Bezos Edges Musk In Space Race As NASA Chooses Blue Origin For Mars Mission

In a recent development, NASA disclosed its decision to deploy two scientific spacecraft to Mars aboard the first Blue Origin New Glenn rocket in August 2024, under a contract valued at $20 million. This comes as a shift from the initial plan, where Elon Musk’s SpaceX was slated to carry the NASA payload on a Falcon Heavy rocket in October of this year, alongside NASA’s Psyche mission bound for an asteroid.

The alteration in the launch arrangement occurred as a result of concerns that the Falcon Heavy would not place the additional crafts on the proper trajectory for insertion into Mars’ orbit. This adjustment in the timeline follows a recent setback for Musk, as his Starship rocket—intended for future moon and Mars missions—experienced a failure in its second launch attempt.

The upcoming mission, known as the Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorer (ESCAPADE), involves two identical spacecraft designed to investigate the effects of solar winds on Mars’ magnetosphere. These spacecraft will be launched using the untested Blue Origin New Glenn rocket, marking the first instance of NASA contracting a private space company for a Mars mission, aligning with NASA’s broader strategy to reduce costs by engaging private contractors.

NASA officials explained, “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.” The ESCAPADE mission, classified as a ‘class D’ mission with low-to-medium national significance and low cost, has a budget of $79 million.

Acknowledging the risk associated with using the unproven New Glenn rocket, Bradley Smith, director of NASA’s Launch Services Office, stated, “We’re willing to take a little bit of risk with a price tag and a mission assurance model that reflects that risk.” The launch is scheduled for August 2024, and while Blue Origin’s New Glenn has faced delays, NASA remains optimistic about the timeline.

It is noteworthy that this development is the latest chapter in the ongoing space race between Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos, who secured separate multibillion-dollar contracts with NASA for lunar exploration earlier this year. The ESCAPADE mission aims to contribute to NASA’s exploration of Mars, a tradition that has historically utilized NASA’s own rockets, making Blue Origin the first private company to join this endeavor.


Information for this story was found via Daily Mail and the sources mentioned. The author has no securities or affiliations related to the organizations discussed. Not a recommendation to buy or sell. Always do additional research and consult a professional before purchasing a security. The author holds no licenses.

Video Articles

Why Gold’s Bull Run May Just Be Getting Started! | Peter Grandich

Tariffs Spark New Race for Critical Metals | Rob McEwen

Antimony Resources: The Bald Hill Project

Recommended

Tsunami Warnings Spread As Largest Quake Since 2011 Hits Russia

Northern Superior Intersects 1.75 g/t Gold Over 65.0 Metres At Philibert

Related News

Twitter Gets Offended After Reuters Reports that Tesla Missed Q1 Wall Street Estimates

Twitter didn’t like that Reuters on Sunday reported that electric carmaker Tesla had missed its...

Monday, April 3, 2023, 02:18:00 PM

The Hypocrisy Saga: Elon Musk Vs. OpenAI

OpenAI has hit back at Elon Musk’s lawsuit by releasing a series of emails showing...

Friday, March 8, 2024, 10:14:00 AM

Dogecoin Sent Soaring After Elon Musk Says Tesla Will Accept the Crypto as Payment

Dogecoin was sent soaring Tuesday morning, after Elon Musk took to twitter to announce that...

Tuesday, December 14, 2021, 03:38:00 PM

CBC Halts Twitter Feed After Elon Musk Slaps Account With ‘Government Funded Media’ Label

CBC/Radio Canada is halting all social media activity across its Twitter accounts, after the platform...

Monday, April 17, 2023, 06:30:22 PM

Did Someone Just Agree to Have a Neuralink Implanted in Their Brain?

Elon Musk announced that his tech firm Neuralink has successfully implanted its wireless brain chip...

Tuesday, January 30, 2024, 07:51:46 AM