ESCAPADE
Artist's impression of ESCAPADE on Martian orbit | |||||||||||
| Names | SIMPLEx-4A (Blue) SIMPLEx-4B (Gold) | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mission type | Mars orbiters | ||||||||||
| Operator | NASA | ||||||||||
| COSPAR ID | 2025-260A (Blue) 2025-260B (Gold) | ||||||||||
| SATCAT no. | 66451 (Blue) 66452 (Gold) | ||||||||||
| Website | escapade | ||||||||||
| Mission duration |
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| Spacecraft properties | |||||||||||
| Spacecraft | Blue and Gold | ||||||||||
| Bus | Explorer | ||||||||||
| Manufacturer | Rocket Lab | ||||||||||
| Launch mass | Total: 1,070 kg (2,360 lb) Individual: 535 kg (1,179 lb) | ||||||||||
| Dry mass | Total: 418 kg (922 lb) Individual: 209 kg (461 lb) | ||||||||||
| Dimensions | Stowed: 1.20 × 1.65 × 1.09 m (3 ft 11 in × 5 ft 5 in × 3 ft 7 in) Deployed: 4.88 × 1.65 × 1.09 m (16.0 × 5.4 × 3.6 ft) | ||||||||||
| Power | Science (nominal) mode: 128 watts Mars (aphelion): 288 watts | ||||||||||
| Start of mission | |||||||||||
| Launch date | November 13, 2025 20:55:01 UTC (3:55:01 pm EST) | ||||||||||
| Rocket | New Glenn | ||||||||||
| Launch site | Cape Canaveral, LC-36 | ||||||||||
| Contractor | Blue Origin | ||||||||||
| Orbital parameters | |||||||||||
| Reference system | Areocentric | ||||||||||
| Periareion altitude | 160 km (99 mi) | ||||||||||
| Apoareion altitude | 7,000–10,000 km (4,300–6,200 mi) | ||||||||||
| Inclination | 60° | ||||||||||
| Mars orbiter | |||||||||||
| Orbital insertion | 2027 (planned) | ||||||||||
| Transponders | |||||||||||
| Bandwidth | X band | ||||||||||
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Mission logo SIMPLEx program | |||||||||||
Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers (ESCAPADE) is a spacecraft mission to Mars consisting of two spacecraft known as Blue and Gold, which launched in November 2025. The mission is designed to demonstrate low-cost planetary space exploration. The twin spacecraft will study Mars' magnetosphere and how solar wind contributed to the loss of most of the planet's atmosphere over Solar System history. The mission is led by UC Berkeley's Space Sciences Laboratory with Dr. Robert Lillis as Principal Investigator. It is part of NASA's SIMPLEx program.