NASA’s twin ESCAPADE spacecraft were launched aboard Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket to study how solar wind shapes Mars’ magnetic and atmospheric environment.

About ESCAPADE Mission

• ESCAPADE (Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers) is a dual-spacecraft heliophysics mission designed to analyse Mars’ magnetosphere and atmospheric loss processes.
• It is led by the University of California, Berkeley, with spacecraft built by Rocket Lab.
• Objectives
  • The mission seeks to determine how the solar wind interacts with Mars’ weak magnetic environment.
  • It aims to measure how solar storms accelerate atmospheric escape and influence Martian space weather.
  • The spacecraft will analyse variations in magnetospheric conditions over short timescales using coordinated dual-orbit observations.
• Payloads 
  • EMAG (Electromagnetometer): Measures magnetic field strength and direction.
  • EDP (Electric Field and Plasma Density Instrument): Records electric fields and plasma densities.
  • EESA (Ion and Electron Spectrometer): Studies energy and distribution of charged particles.
• Trajectory and Mission Design: The spacecraft will first travel to Lagrange Point-2 to wait for favourable Earth–Mars alignment before slingshotting toward Mars in 2026.
  • They will enter Mars orbit in 2027 and operate in two phases: a “string-of-pearls” formation followed by dual-altitude orbits.
• Significance
  • It will reveal how Mars became a cold, desert planet by tracing atmospheric erosion.
  • It will support planning for future human missions by characterising radiation and plasma hazards around Mars.
  • The mission demonstrates flexible “loiter-orbit” interplanetary launches, enabling year-round departure opportunities.

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About Lagrange Point

• Lagrange Points are specific positions in space where the gravitational forces of two large bodies balance the orbital motion of a smaller object, enabling stable or semi-stable parking.
• Locations of Each Lagrange Point
  • L1: Lies between Earth and Sun, enabling uninterrupted solar observation.
    • India’s solar observatory  Aditya-L1 is stationed at the Sun–Earth L1 to study the solar corona, wind, and space weather.
  • L2: Positioned beyond Earth, opposite the Sun, ideal for deep-space observation.
    • James Webb Space Telescope is located at the Sun-Earth Lagrange point 2 (L2)
  • L3: Located behind the Sun, opposite Earth’s orbit.
  • L4: Forms an equilateral triangle with Earth and Sun, leading Earth in its orbit.
  • L5: Forms an equilateral triangle trailing Earth in its orbit

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