Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket, carrying two Mars space-weather satellites, is set for a renewed launch attempt this week after delays caused by overcast skies and a geomagnetic storm, the company announced on Wednesday.
According to an update on the company’s website, the latest 90-minute launch window at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida is scheduled for Thursday, beginning just before 3 p.m. (2000 GMT). The timing aligns with forecasts from the U.S. Space Weather Prediction Center indicating reduced solar activity risks for spacecraft.
New Glenn—a two-stage, heavy-lift rocket roughly 32 stories tall—had initially been slated to launch on Sunday to send two NASA-bound Mars satellites into space. The mission represents a key milestone for Blue Origin, marking its first major science mission for a paying customer and its first launch since the rocket’s debut flight in January.
Sunday’s attempt was cancelled due to thick cloud cover, and Wednesday’s rescheduled launch was scrubbed after a severe geomagnetic storm watch was issued. The storm was triggered by high-energy particles released from recent solar eruptions known as coronal mass ejections.
Radiation levels measured on Earth reached a G-4, or “severe,” classification on Wednesday—just one tier below the most intense G-5 rating—but were expected to ease by Thursday.
Geomagnetic storms can disrupt radio and satellite communications and increase atmospheric drag on low-Earth-orbit spacecraft, as seen in 2022 when 40 newly launched Starlink satellites were lost. Such storms also intensify aurora displays, which were visible Tuesday night across unusually southern regions of the United States, including Texas, Florida, and Alabama.
The EscaPADE mission—short for Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers—aims to study similar solar-particle interactions at Mars. After a 22-month journey, the twin satellites will orbit the Red Planet to examine how charged solar particles interact with its magnetic field and contribute to atmospheric loss.
