Blue Origin to provide launch services for ESCAPADE

Illustration of the ESCAPADE spacecraft in orbit around Mars.
Credits: Credits: Rocket Lab USA/UC Berkeley

When ESCAPADE launches in late 2024, Blue Origin of Kent, WA will provide launch services, NASA has announced, as part of its Venture-Class Acquisition of Dedicated and Rideshare (VADR) contract. Blue Origin is one of a dozen-plus companies NASA selected for VADR contracts in 2022, part of an effort by the agency to secure new vehicles for NASA payloads that will use commercial best practices to increase access to space while lowering costs.