Tag: Mars
-
New Glenn’s successful static fire test clears way for launch of ESCAPADE mission
Following Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket firing its seven BE-4 engines on the first stage for 38 seconds, the path has been cleared for its upcoming launch of the Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers (ESCAPADE) mission to Mars. The company currently plans to launch the second flight of its heavy-lift, partially reusable rocket…
-
Launch Roundup: Ariane 6 flies, Atlas V and New Glenn both scrub during busy week
This week’s launch manifest featured twelve missions launching on nine different rockets, including the first attempt of the second launch of Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket. This roundup covers an eight-day period, from Monday, Nov. 3, to Monday, Nov. 10. In addition to four Falcon 9 missions from SpaceX, an Ariane 62, New Glenn, Chang…
-
Rocket Lab eyes Mars Telecommunications Orbiter as NASA revives mission concept
Rocket Lab—the operator of the world’s second-busiest orbital rocket—has been touting its vision for a Mars Telecommunications Orbiter. Rocket Lab’s founder and CEO, Sir Peter Beck, laid out a compelling case during an exclusive interview with NSF on Wednesday. The interest lies in a revived $700 million congressional push to bridge Earth and the Red…
-
NASA Unveils Potential Evidence of Ancient Martian Life in Peculiar Rock Patterns
An international team of scientists has revealed that unusual leopard-spot patterns on a Martian rock may hold clues to ancient microbial life on the Red Planet, potentially reshaping our understanding of Mars’ habitability. The rock, dubbed Cheyava Falls, was discovered by NASA’s Perseverance rover in June 2024 within the ancient river valley of Neretva Vallis,…
-
Evaluating Blue Origin’s Mars Telecom Orbiter Proposal
Blue Origin has revealed its concept for a Mars Telecommunications Orbiter (MTO), entering a burgeoning field alongside Rocket Lab and Lockheed Martin as companies vie to enhance communications infrastructure for future Mars missions. The announcement highlights a proactive push by private aerospace firms, even as SpaceX remains notably absent from the fray, opting instead for…
-
Firefly advances production of Eclipse and Blue Ghost, announces Ocula imaging service
Firefly Aerospace is continuing to make good progress toward the debut of the company’s next-generation launch vehicle, Eclipse, in partnership with Northrop Grumman. Formerly known as MLV, or Medium Launch Vehicle, Firefly and Northrop Grumman announced the rocket’s new name on May 29. Firefly also announced Ocula, a new commercial lunar imaging service that will…
-
Isaacman’s bold plan for NASA: Nuclear ships, seven-crew Dragons, accelerated Artemis
Nearly two weeks have passed since Jared Isaacman received a fateful, brief phone call from two officials in President Trump’s Office of Personnel Management. In those few seconds, the trajectory of his life over the next three and a half years changed dramatically. The president, the callers said, wanted to go in a different direction…
-
How Dragonfly will support the search for life on an uninhabitable world
In July 2028, NASA’s next New Frontiers program mission, Dragonfly, will launch to Saturn atop a SpaceX Falcon Heavy. Six years later, it will descend through the thick clouds and atmospheric layers of Saturn’s largest moon, Titan — finding a world that is both similar to and different from Earth. While on Titan, Dragonfly will…
-
Ars Live: Three space journos pick apart NASA’s Mars plans
I’m incredibly excited, as part of the Ars Live series, to host a conversation with some of the very best space reporters in the business this afternoon, May 29, at 3 pm EDT about the future of NASA and its deep space exploration ambitions. You can watch Ars Live here. Joining me in a virtual…
-
The Future of the Starship Program, Block 3 and Mars
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk gave a talk to employees inside the Starfactory, laying out the future of the Starship Program in terms of hardware and reuse. He also revealed SpaceX’s ambitious plan to colonize Mars over the next decade. Next Generation Starship Block 3 or Next Generation Ship appears to be slated to start with…