Author Topic: Photon to Mars - NASA ESCAPADE mission - Oct 2024  (Read 16397 times)

Offline FutureSpaceTourist

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https://twitter.com/rocketlab/status/1404741117208272896

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Photon is going to Mars! Two Photons to be exact. We’ve been awarded a contract by @UCBerkeley to design two Photon spacecraft for @NASA’s ESCAPADE mission to Mars. Learn more: bit.ly/3zqhdIR

https://www.rocketlabusa.com/about-us/updates/rocket-lab-awarded-contract-to-design-twin-spacecraft-for-mars/

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Rocket Lab Awarded Contract to Design Twin Spacecraft for Mars

The two Rocket Lab Photon spacecraft for the ESCAPADE mission to Mars are part of NASA’s Small Innovative Missions for Planetary Exploration (SIMPLEx) program

Long Beach, California. June 15, 2021. Rocket Lab, a global leader in dedicated launch and space systems, has been awarded a contract to design two Photon spacecraft for a scientific mission to Mars.

The Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers (ESCAPADE) mission, led by Rob Lillis at the University of California, Berkeley Space Sciences Laboratory, is a twin-spacecraft science mission that will orbit two spacecraft around Mars to understand the structure, composition, variability, and dynamics of Mars' unique hybrid magnetosphere. The mission will leverage its unique dual viewpoint on the Mars environment to explore how the solar wind strips atmosphere away from Mars to better understand how its climate has changed over time.

ESCAPADE is being developed under NASA’s Small Innovative Missions for Planetary Exploration (SIMPLEx) program in the Science Mission Directorate (SMD). The two spacecraft are planned for launch in 2024 to Mars ridesharing aboard a NASA-provided commercial launch vehicle.

Following an 11-month interplanetary cruise, the two Photons (named Blue and Gold) will insert themselves into elliptical orbits around Mars and conduct a 1-year primary science mission. ESCAPADE’s Photons will use the flight-proven Curie propulsion system to perform Mars orbit insertion and will be equipped with other subsystems that enable planetary science, including star trackers and reaction wheels for precision pointing from Rocket Lab’s Sinclair Interplanetary team, as well as ranging transceivers for deep space navigation.

Rocket Lab founder and CEO, Peter Beck says: “This is a hugely promising mission that will deliver big science in a small package. Planetary science missions have traditionally costed hundreds of millions of dollars and taken up to a decade to come to fruition. Our Photon spacecraft for ESCAPADE will demonstrate a more cost-effective approach to planetary exploration that will increase the science community’s access to our solar system for the better.”

ESCAPADE is one of three missions selected in 2019 by NASA’s SIMPLEx program to conduct compelling planetary science and provide more opportunities for flight experience to the science community. ESCAPADE will undergo a NASA preliminary design review in June and a confirmation review in July determining whether the mission proceeds to implementation and flight.
« Last Edit: 08/27/2021 06:43 am by FutureSpaceTourist »

Offline niwax

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Re: Photon to Mars - NASA ESCAPADE mission - Oct 2024
« Reply #1 on: 06/15/2021 10:16 am »
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ridesharing aboard a NASA-provided commercial launch vehicle.

Electron is enough to throw individual Photons to Mars, but they decided to launch both on a rideshare instead. Considering the tight launch window and availability of a dedicated launcher, that's interesting.
« Last Edit: 06/15/2021 11:05 am by niwax »
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Offline RoadWithoutEnd

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Re: Photon to Mars - NASA ESCAPADE mission - Oct 2024
« Reply #2 on: 06/15/2021 10:31 am »
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ridesharing aboard a NASA-provided commercial launch vehicle.

Electron is enough to throw individual Photons to Mars, but they decided to launch both on a rideshare instead. Considering the tight launch window and availability of a dedicated launcher, that'S interesting.

Having to launch twice might nullify the advantages of Electron.  And since the mission (presumably) needs both payloads to succeed, there's no benefit to redundancy.
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Offline edzieba

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Re: Photon to Mars - NASA ESCAPADE mission - Oct 2024
« Reply #3 on: 06/15/2021 10:37 am »
It also means the Photons have close to their entire propellant capacity available for mid-course corrections, insertion burn, and in-orbit manoeuvres. Launching on Electron would mean some amount of that propellant would instead need to be used for TMI. IIRC a burn-to-depletion Electron kick-stage can throw something like 25km-50kg into TMI, which isn't much margin for even the expanded-tank Interplanetary Photon to carry a useful payload plus Mars insertion propellant.

Offline Welsh Dragon

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Re: Photon to Mars - NASA ESCAPADE mission - Oct 2024
« Reply #4 on: 06/15/2021 12:11 pm »
I'd say the fact they're not launching on Electron is a good thing. It's good for diversifying their market, shows they're not locked in to launching Photons only on their own launchers.
« Last Edit: 06/15/2021 02:00 pm by Welsh Dragon »

Offline LouScheffer

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Re: Photon to Mars - NASA ESCAPADE mission - Oct 2024
« Reply #5 on: 06/15/2021 04:27 pm »
Presumably they will use the IRIS deep space transponder.

Any idea of what they will use for an antenna, which will need to be fairly sizeable?  The folding planar antenna from MarCo?

Offline DreamyPickle

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Re: Photon to Mars - NASA ESCAPADE mission - Oct 2024
« Reply #6 on: 06/15/2021 04:35 pm »
One way to read "NASA-provided commercial launch vehicle" is that the launch vehicle was not part of the bidding. RocketLab won a contract to build a payload against other companies that build payloads.

Online trimeta

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Re: Photon to Mars - NASA ESCAPADE mission - Oct 2024
« Reply #7 on: 06/15/2021 06:58 pm »
The comments in Michael Sheetz's article about "Beck said Rocket Lab hopes to have its coming Neutron rocket ready in time to compete for the contract" suggest that the "NASA-provided commercial launch partner" has yet to be chosen, and Rocket Lab could potentially launch this mission -- if they're competitive with Falcon 9.

Apparently ESCAPADE was originally co-manifested as a rideshare on a Falcon Heavy launch out to Psyche, in the asteroid belt, but it was bumped from that mission, so it's no longer clear how exactly it will reach Mars.

Offline TrevorMonty

Re: Photon to Mars - NASA ESCAPADE mission - Oct 2024
« Reply #8 on: 06/15/2021 07:25 pm »
The option is 1000-1500kg LVs coming on market soon. May need kick stage for earth escape.

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Offline FutureSpaceTourist

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Re: Photon to Mars - NASA ESCAPADE mission - Oct 2024
« Reply #9 on: 08/23/2021 11:06 am »
https://www.rocketlabusa.com/about-us/updates/rocket-lab-spacecraft-confirmed-for-mars-as-nasa-greenlights-escapade-small-satellite-interplanetary-mission/

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Rocket Lab Spacecraft Confirmed for Mars as NASA Greenlights ESCAPADE Small Satellite Interplanetary Mission

The ESCAPADE mission - led by the University of California Berkeley Space Sciences Laboratory to study Mars’ magnetosphere - with two Rocket Lab Photon spacecraft has received NASA approval to move toward launch.

Long Beach, California. 23 August, 2021. Rocket Lab, a global leader in dedicated launch and space systems, today announced it will begin final mission design and commence manufacturing two interplanetary Photon spacecraft for a science mission to Mars, delivering Decadal-class science at a fraction of the cost of typical planetary missions.

The Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers (ESCAPADE) mission will orbit two Rocket Lab-built Photon spacecraft around Mars to understand the structure, composition, variability, and dynamics of Mars' unique hybrid magnetosphere. The mission will also support crewed exploration programs like Artemis through improved solar storm prediction.

 ESCAPADE is the latest of only three missions proceeding under the current round of NASA’s Small Innovative Missions for Planetary Exploration (SIMPLEX) program to conduct compelling planetary space science with small satellites and provide more opportunities for flight experience to the science community. The ESCAPADE mission, led by principal investigator Robert Lillis at the University of California, Berkeley, is the latest SIMPLEX mission to pass Key Decision Point-C (KDP-C), confirming it for implementation in preparation for launch to Mars in 2024. The ESCAPADE mission is managed by the NASA Science Mission Directorate’s Heliophysics Division and will be the first Heliophysics mission to visit another planet.

Following deployment from a NASA-provided commercial launch vehicle, the pair of Photons will conduct an 11-month interplanetary cruise before inserting themselves into elliptical orbits around Mars to begin the science phase. Both Photons incorporate satellite subsystems developed and manufactured by Rocket Lab, including star trackers, reaction wheels, ranging transceivers for deep space navigation, and in-space propulsion systems. By leveraging vertically-integrated spacecraft manufacturing, the ESCAPADE mission will be delivered at a fraction of the cost of traditional planetary missions. This supports U.S. national strategy for Decadal-class science by increasing the pace of scientific discovery and enabling more sustainable crewed exploration by improving our understanding of the space environment.

Rocket Lab’s founder and CEO, Peter Beck, says “ESCAPADE is an innovative mission that demonstrates that advanced interplanetary science is now within reach for a fraction of traditional costs, and we’re proud to make it possible with Photon,” he said. “Passing the Key Decision Point is a critical milestone in ESCAPADE’s development and is testament to the world-class science and engineering work of the UC Berkeley and Rocket Lab teams. We are delighted to receive the green light from NASA to proceed to flight.”

ESCAPADE is one of several missions beyond Earth orbit currently under development by Rocket Lab using the Photon spacecraft, including the CAPSTONE mission to the Moon in support of NASA’s Artemis program and Rocket Lab’s own privately-funded science mission to Venus.

 ENDS

Offline FutureSpaceTourist

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Re: Photon to Mars - NASA ESCAPADE mission - Oct 2024
« Reply #10 on: 08/27/2021 06:42 am »
https://twitter.com/rocketlab/status/1431062508979163138

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NASA’s ESCAPADE Mission – Twin Martian Orbiters – Moves Toward Launch

Our space systems team is in high gear after @NASA's ESCAPADE mission passed a key design review.🛰️

Twin Photons are in development to orbit the red planet, delivering decadal-class science at a fraction of the cost of typical planetary missions. #SmallSatsBigScience

https://blogs.nasa.gov/escapade/2021/08/20/nasas-escapade-mission-twin-martian-orbiters-moves-toward-launch/

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NASA’s Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers, or ESCAPADE mission, passed a mission review on August 17, 2021, moving the mission into its next phase with a new target launch readiness date of October 2024.

The review, Key Decision Point C, evaluated the mission’s preliminary design and project plan to achieve launch by its target launch readiness date. With the successful review, ESCAPADE now moves into phase C, which includes the final design of the mission and building of the instruments.

“We are thrilled to pass this critical milestone, the culmination of two years of science and engineering work from a talented and dedicated team at UC Berkeley and our partners,” said Rob Lillis, space physicist at UC Berkeley and principal investigator for ESCAPADE. “We’re very excited to now move towards final designs, assembly, test, launch and get on our way to Mars.”

ESCAPADE consists of two identical interplanetary Photon spacecraft developed by Rocket Lab. Both spacecraft are about the size of a mini-fridge and weigh no more than about 250 pounds (120 kilograms) excluding fuel.

“This is a hugely promising mission that will deliver big science in a small package,” said Peter Beck, Rocket Lab founder and CEO. “Our Photon spacecraft for ESCAPADE will demonstrate a more cost-effective approach to planetary exploration that will increase the science community’s access to our solar system for the better. I’m thrilled that the hard work and dedication of the engineering teams at UC Berkeley and Rocket Lab to date have paid off and the mission has been approved by NASA to begin final design and building.”

Launching no earlier than January 2024, the twin ESCAPADE spacecraft will spend 11 months in interplanetary space before entering a highly elliptical orbit around Mars.  They will spend six months gradually descending into the same nominal science orbit like pearls on a string, passing within 100 miles (160 kilometers) of the Martian surface at closest approach.

“For ESCAPADE, we’re evaluating a number of rideshare options to enable this critically important science while also lowering costs,” said Alan Zide, program executive for the mission at NASA HQ.

ESCAPADE will study how Mars’ magnetosphere – the magnetized area of space around the planet – interacts with the solar wind, and the processes driving its atmospheric escape.

“This constellation of two satellites at Mars will answer big questions about the atmosphere and the solar wind in real time,” said Shannon Curry, project scientist for the mission at UC Berkeley.

“With simultaneous two-point observations, ESCAPADE will bring us the first ‘stereo’ picture of this highly dynamic environment,” Lillis added.

Using instruments to measure magnetic fields, ions, and electrons, the ESCAPADE spacecraft will analyze how Mars’ magnetic field guides particle flows around the planet; how energy and momentum are transported from the solar wind through Mars’ magnetosphere; and what processes control the flow of energy and matter into and out of the atmosphere.

“Our heliophysics decadal surveys” – the community-wide survey used to set NASA’s scientific objectives – “have identified the scientific need to study the space environments of other planets,” said Jared Leisner, ESCAPADE program scientist at NASA HQ. “By studying the same processes at different planets, we gain key insights into how they function both at Earth and at other planets beyond the solar system.”

ESCAPADE is led by the University of California, Berkeley. The mission is managed by the Planetary Mission Program Office at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center. ESCAPADE is part of the NASA Small Innovative Missions for Planetary Exploration (SIMPLEx) program and is funded through the Heliophysics Division at NASA HQ.

By Miles Hatfield
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.

Author Miles Hatfield   Posted on August 20, 2021
« Last Edit: 08/27/2021 06:43 am by FutureSpaceTourist »

Offline TrevorMonty

Re: Photon to Mars - NASA ESCAPADE mission - Oct 2024
« Reply #11 on: 09/08/2021 11:25 pm »
Good podcast on design and science behind this mission. The 2nd half of podcast is other Martian science.

https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/robert-lillis-escapade-mars

The Photon buses are being provided by RL at fixed price not usual cost plus for planetary missions. Some of payload science instruments are new while others are copies from previous missions.

 Capstone should give some flight heritage as RL plan to operate Photon long after it drops off Capstone.  If Photon proves reliable then it could become goto platform for these low cost missions.



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Offline TrevorMonty

Re: Photon to Mars - NASA ESCAPADE mission - Oct 2024
« Reply #12 on: 01/19/2022 08:41 am »
These satellites maybe launch on Neutron. In RL Launch Schedule tread has 2024 Neutron to MARS.

Could be totally different mission. Chance of Neutron being ready in 2024 is marginal.

F9R are readily available at short notice so planning on Neutron with F9R as backup isn't that silly.

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Offline arachnitect

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Re: Photon to Mars - NASA ESCAPADE mission - Oct 2024
« Reply #13 on: 01/19/2022 11:45 am »
These satellites maybe launch on Neutron. In RL Launch Schedule tread has 2024 Neutron to MARS.

Could be totally different mission. Chance of Neutron being ready in 2024 is marginal.

F9R are readily available at short notice so planning on Neutron with F9R as backup isn't that silly.

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Mars the planet or MARS the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport?

Offline TrevorMonty

Re: Photon to Mars - NASA ESCAPADE mission - Oct 2024
« Reply #14 on: 01/19/2022 03:48 pm »
These satellites maybe launch on Neutron. In RL Launch Schedule tread has 2024 Neutron to MARS.

Could be totally different mission. Chance of Neutron being ready in 2024 is marginal.

F9R are readily available at short notice so planning on Neutron with F9R as backup isn't that silly.

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Mars the planet or MARS the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport?
That makes more sense.

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Offline sanman

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Re: Photon to Mars - NASA ESCAPADE mission - Oct 2024
« Reply #15 on: 01/19/2022 04:50 pm »
Mars the planet or MARS the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport?

Now who thought up that clever-by-half acronym? It's going to make for confusing discussions.

Offline FutureSpaceTourist

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Re: Photon to Mars - NASA ESCAPADE mission - Oct 2024
« Reply #16 on: 03/30/2023 05:41 pm »
https://twitter.com/peter_j_beck/status/1641494986545037312

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Escapade Mars spacecraft is coming together very nicely. Pretty cool when you get to work on things that go to other planets! This is the instrument deck enabling the incredible science from @ucbssl

Offline FutureSpaceTourist

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Re: Photon to Mars - NASA ESCAPADE mission - Oct 2024
« Reply #17 on: 03/30/2023 05:58 pm »
twitter.com/astrovalerie/status/1641495261263323145

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I must know the purpose of the shiny golden orb on the end of a stick. Anything you can share, Mr. Beck?

https://twitter.com/peter_j_beck/status/1641496601146580992

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That’s the FPP field planar probe.

Offline jimvela

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Re: Photon to Mars - NASA ESCAPADE mission - Oct 2024
« Reply #18 on: 03/30/2023 06:24 pm »
Presumably they will use the IRIS deep space transponder.

Any idea of what they will use for an antenna, which will need to be fairly sizeable?  The folding planar antenna from MarCo?

That's NOT a given.
RocketLab is licensed to produce their in-house variant of the APL Frontier radio.
https://www.rocketlabusa.com/space-systems/radios/

It's an excellent SDR radio and I know of multiple programs that are considering using it for deep space applications.

Offline GewoonLukas_

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Re: Photon to Mars - NASA ESCAPADE mission - Oct 2024
« Reply #19 on: 04/11/2023 08:07 pm »
Launch window opens August 6th and closes August 15th:

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At the Mars Exploration Program Analysis Group (MEPAG) meeting today, Rob Lillis, PI for the ESCAPADE mission, says the launch window for it is Aug. 6-15, 2024. He believes Blue Origin's New Glenn "likely will be ready" for launching the mission.

https://twitter.com/jeff_foust/status/1645880943524159491
« Last Edit: 04/11/2023 08:08 pm by GewoonLukas_ »
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Offline TrevorMonty

Re: Photon to Mars - NASA ESCAPADE mission - Oct 2024
« Reply #20 on: 04/11/2023 08:13 pm »
Launch window opens August 6th and closes August 15th:

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At the Mars Exploration Program Analysis Group (MEPAG) meeting today, Rob Lillis, PI for the ESCAPADE mission, says the launch window for it is Aug. 6-15, 2024. He believes Blue Origin's New Glenn "likely will be ready" for launching the mission.

https://twitter.com/jeff_foust/status/1645880943524159491
Wouldn't be my first choice of LV given short launch window.

Offline GewoonLukas_

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Re: Photon to Mars - NASA ESCAPADE mission - Oct 2024
« Reply #21 on: 04/11/2023 08:19 pm »
Launch window opens August 6th and closes August 15th:

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At the Mars Exploration Program Analysis Group (MEPAG) meeting today, Rob Lillis, PI for the ESCAPADE mission, says the launch window for it is Aug. 6-15, 2024. He believes Blue Origin's New Glenn "likely will be ready" for launching the mission.


Wouldn't be my first choice of LV given short launch window.

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He said he was initially concerned that New Glenn hans't launched yet, but after touring Blue's facilities at the Cape he is much less concerned. (Must have been one helluva tour.)
https://twitter.com/jeff_foust/status/1645882861885456386
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Offline FutureSpaceTourist

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Re: Photon to Mars - NASA ESCAPADE mission - Oct 2024
« Reply #22 on: 10/19/2023 05:24 am »
https://twitter.com/rocketlab/status/1714756572466024571

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The Lab is humming now that we’ve begun the integration and testing phase of our dual ESCAPADE spacecraft! The twin spacecraft will be used to study Mars’ magnetosphere on a scientific mission for @NASA and @ucbssl when it launches in 2024.

https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231018369299/en/Rocket-Lab-Integrating-Twin-Spacecraft-for-Mission-to-Mars-for-NASA

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Rocket Lab Integrating Twin Spacecraft for Mission to Mars for NASA

LONG BEACH, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Rocket Lab USA, Inc. (Nasdaq: RKLB) (“Rocket Lab” or “the Company”), a global leader in launch services and space systems, today announced that the two spacecraft the Company is building for NASA’s Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers (ESCAPADE) mission have entered the system integration phase in preparation for a planned launch in 2024.

The ESCAPADE mission, led by Dr. Rob Lillis at the University of California, Berkeley’s (UCB) Space Sciences Laboratory (SSL), is a twin-spacecraft science mission that will orbit Mars to investigate the structure, composition, variability, and dynamics of Mars' unique hybrid magnetosphere. The mission will explore how the solar wind strips atmosphere away from Mars to better understand how its climate has changed over time. Each spacecraft will carry an instrument suite that includes a magnetometer for measuring magnetic field, an electrostatic analyzer to measure ions and electrons, and a Langmuir probe for measuring plasma density and solar extreme ultraviolet flux.

To ensure that the two spacecraft are ready for the harsh environment of space and their roughly 230-million-mile journey to the red planet, the Rocket Lab Space Systems team has successfully passed System Integration Review (SIR) and is proceeding with integration of the flight hardware in preparation for launch. Integration includes both the spacecraft bus with Rocket Lab-manufactured solar arrays, reaction wheels, star trackers, separation systems, radios, and flight software and the flight instruments being delivered from UCB and other mission partners. In addition to a battery of functional tests to verify performance, the spacecraft are undergoing a full environmental test campaign, including vibration, thermal vacuum, and electromagnetic compatibility testing. The Company has also concluded RF compatibility testing with NASA’s Deep Space Network (DSN), which will communicate with Rocket Lab’s Frontier-X radios on both spacecraft and provide navigation services to the mission.

“Reaching the flight integration phase for a new spacecraft is a significant milestone, especially for a complex interplanetary mission like this,” said Rocket Lab founder and CEO Peter Beck. “Building on the successful delivery of a spacecraft to lunar orbit for NASA last year, it's a privilege to be developing a spacecraft headed for deep space to perform Decadal-class science with our partners at UC Berkeley.”

The ESCAPADE spacecraft integration and test is taking place at Rocket Lab’s advanced spacecraft development and manufacturing complex within the Company’s Long Beach headquarters. The facility includes a 12,000 sq. ft. cleanroom and 40,000 sq. ft. of production & test facilities designed to support constellation class manufacturing and satellite assembly, integration and test for commercial, civil and national security customers.

ESCAPADE is being developed under NASA’s Small Innovative Missions for Planetary Exploration (SIMPLEx) program in the Science Mission Directorate (SMD) and is the first Heliophysics mission to another planet. The mission is led by the University of California, Berkeley’s (UCB) Space Sciences Laboratory (SSL) with spacecraft provided by Rocket Lab. The two spacecraft are planned for launch in 2024 to low Earth orbit aboard a Blue Origin New Glenn launch vehicle provided by NASA. Rocket Lab’s spacecraft will then perform the Mars transfer from Earth orbit, 11-month cruise to Mars, and Mars orbit insertion before achieving a “string of pearls” orbit formation in advance of the science phase beginning in 2026.

Offline FutureSpaceTourist

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Re: Photon to Mars - NASA ESCAPADE mission - Oct 2024
« Reply #23 on: 10/19/2023 08:28 am »
https://twitter.com/peter_j_beck/status/1714823631405277456

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It’s hard to describe the feeling when you touch something that you know is going to another world.

Offline Zed_Noir

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Re: Photon to Mars - NASA ESCAPADE mission - Oct 2024
« Reply #24 on: 10/19/2023 10:04 am »
In case of the New Glenn not making the schedule. Does NASA have a backup launch vehicle for the ESCAPADE mission?

Offline TrevorMonty

Re: Photon to Mars - NASA ESCAPADE mission - Oct 2024
« Reply #25 on: 10/19/2023 04:49 pm »
In case of the New Glenn not making the schedule. Does NASA have a backup launch vehicle for the ESCAPADE mission?
F9 would be only option if they want to launch in 2024.

Online DanClemmensen

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Re: Photon to Mars - NASA ESCAPADE mission - Oct 2024
« Reply #26 on: 10/19/2023 05:48 pm »
In case of the New Glenn not making the schedule. Does NASA have a backup launch vehicle for the ESCAPADE mission?
F9 would be only option if they want to launch in 2024.
New Glenn is a not-yet-flown Heavy lift LV which will have a hydrolox second stage. For reasons I should understand but don't, hydrolox provides relatively better performance for "high energy orbits", including Mars missions. Can EscaPADE actually use F9, or would it need FH?

Offline LouScheffer

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Re: Photon to Mars - NASA ESCAPADE mission - Oct 2024
« Reply #27 on: 10/19/2023 06:16 pm »
In case of the New Glenn not making the schedule. Does NASA have a backup launch vehicle for the ESCAPADE mission?
F9 would be only option if they want to launch in 2024.
New Glenn is a not-yet-flown Heavy lift LV which will have a hydrolox second stage. For reasons I should understand but don't, hydrolox provides relatively better performance for "high energy orbits", including Mars missions. Can EscaPADE actually use F9, or would it need FH?
The two ESCAPADEs combined mass about 1100 kg.  The C3 needed for Mars next year is about 13.  The SpaceX provided curve for C3 of the F9 stops at C3=10, but extrapolation shows C3 of 13 with 1100 kg should be practical for an ASDS mission.  Vulcan VC2 would also be an option.
« Last Edit: 10/19/2023 06:23 pm by LouScheffer »

Online DanClemmensen

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Re: Photon to Mars - NASA ESCAPADE mission - Oct 2024
« Reply #28 on: 10/19/2023 06:22 pm »
In case of the New Glenn not making the schedule. Does NASA have a backup launch vehicle for the ESCAPADE mission?
F9 would be only option if they want to launch in 2024.
New Glenn is a not-yet-flown Heavy lift LV which will have a hydrolox second stage. For reasons I should understand but don't, hydrolox provides relatively better performance for "high energy orbits", including Mars missions. Can EscaPADE actually use F9, or would it need FH?
The two ESCAPADEs combined mass about 1100 kg.  The C3 needed for Mars next year is about 13.  The SpaceX provided curve for C3 of the F9 stops at C3=10, but extrapolation shows C3 of 13 with 1100 kg should be practical for an ASDS mission.
I have zero experience with actually contracting for a launch and actually interfacing a payload to a launch vehicle. How long in advance of the launch must the decision be made to switch to a different LV? Is it already too late?
« Last Edit: 10/19/2023 07:40 pm by DanClemmensen »

Offline GewoonLukas_

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Re: Photon to Mars - NASA ESCAPADE mission - Oct 2024
« Reply #29 on: 10/19/2023 07:15 pm »
In case of the New Glenn not making the schedule. Does NASA have a backup launch vehicle for the ESCAPADE mission?
F9 would be only option if they want to launch in 2024.
New Glenn is a not-yet-flown Heavy lift LV which will have a hydrolox second stage. For reasons I should understand but don't, hydrolox provides relatively better performance for "high energy orbits", including Mars missions. Can EscaPADE actually use F9, or would it need FH?
The two ESCAPADEs combined mass about 1100 kg.  The C3 needed for Mars next year is about 13.  The SpaceX provided curve for C3 of the F9 stops at C3=10, but extrapolation shows C3 of 13 with 1100 kg should be practical for an ASDS mission.  Vulcan VC2 would also be an option.

Principal Investigator has said that New Glenn will deploy the 2 spacecraft in a Geostationary Transfer-like orbit, with the 2 spacecraft performing the Trans-Mars Injection themself, so Falcon 9 will easily be able to launch EscaPADE if needed.
« Last Edit: 10/19/2023 07:16 pm by GewoonLukas_ »
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Offline Robotbeat

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Re: Photon to Mars - NASA ESCAPADE mission - Oct 2024
« Reply #30 on: 10/19/2023 10:14 pm »
That’s awesome. I hope there are dozens of missions like this. Rideshare to GTO and then go to deep space. I could see a mission like that, maybe 500-1100kg to GTO, costing just $10 million in launch costs. That drastically expands how many destinations can be reached in a budget constrained environment. Go to every planet that solar power even just sort of works at.
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Re: Photon to Mars - NASA ESCAPADE mission - Oct 2024
« Reply #31 on: 10/20/2023 06:28 am »
The two ESCAPADEs combined mass about 1100 kg.  The C3 needed for Mars next year is about 13.  The SpaceX provided curve for C3 of the F9 stops at C3=10, but extrapolation shows C3 of 13 with 1100 kg should be practical for an ASDS mission.  Vulcan VC2 would also be an option.

Peerhaps the C3 = 10 km²/s² limit is due to the maximum acceleration that the Falcon 9 second stage can tolerate with a light payload?
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Offline Asteroza

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Re: Photon to Mars - NASA ESCAPADE mission - Oct 2024
« Reply #32 on: 10/20/2023 07:44 am »
The two ESCAPADEs combined mass about 1100 kg.  The C3 needed for Mars next year is about 13.  The SpaceX provided curve for C3 of the F9 stops at C3=10, but extrapolation shows C3 of 13 with 1100 kg should be practical for an ASDS mission.  Vulcan VC2 would also be an option.

Peerhaps the C3 = 10 km²/s² limit is due to the maximum acceleration that the Falcon 9 second stage can tolerate with a light payload?

If it's too light you can always sandbag it with concrete... assuming there's enough headroom in the payload capacity for a high C3.

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Re: Photon to Mars - NASA ESCAPADE mission - Oct 2024
« Reply #33 on: 10/20/2023 07:55 am »
If it's too light you can always sandbag it with concrete... assuming there's enough headroom in the payload capacity for a high C3.

That will still limit you to C3 = 10 km²/s²! I checked the SpaceX users guide and it says that for payloads greater than 1.8 t, the acceleration limit is 6g. For payloads less than 1.8 t the limit is 8.5g
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Offline TrevorMonty

Re: Photon to Mars - NASA ESCAPADE mission - Oct 2024
« Reply #34 on: 10/20/2023 05:33 pm »
That’s awesome. I hope there are dozens of missions like this. Rideshare to GTO and then go to deep space. I could see a mission like that, maybe 500-1100kg to GTO, costing just $10 million in launch costs. That drastically expands how many destinations can be reached in a budget constrained environment. Go to every planet that solar power even just sort of works at.
RL would rather customer pays bit more and use Neutron's 1500kg TMI capabilities. This would also leave Photon with lot more DV to do more increasing missions eg visit Demios or Phobos.  NB these EscaPADE Photons have DV of 3km/s.
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Re: Photon to Mars - NASA ESCAPADE mission - Oct 2024
« Reply #35 on: 10/20/2023 06:04 pm »
That’s awesome. I hope there are dozens of missions like this. Rideshare to GTO and then go to deep space. I could see a mission like that, maybe 500-1100kg to GTO, costing just $10 million in launch costs. That drastically expands how many destinations can be reached in a budget constrained environment. Go to every planet that solar power even just sort of works at.
RL would rather customer pays bit more and use Neutron's 1500kg TMI capabilities. This would also leave Photon with lot more DV to do more increasing missions eg visit Demios or Phobos.  NB these EscaPADE Photons have DV of 3km/s.
Dry 200kg, wet <550kg, ISP 320
But Neutron has not flown yet either, so it's in the same category as New Glenn for a 2024 launch of EscaPADE. If they really want to fly in summer 2024, they will need to start shifting to F9 very soon.

Offline TrevorMonty

Re: Photon to Mars - NASA ESCAPADE mission - Oct 2024
« Reply #36 on: 10/20/2023 06:49 pm »


That’s awesome. I hope there are dozens of missions like this. Rideshare to GTO and then go to deep space. I could see a mission like that, maybe 500-1100kg to GTO, costing just $10 million in launch costs. That drastically expands how many destinations can be reached in a budget constrained environment. Go to every planet that solar power even just sort of works at.
RL would rather customer pays bit more and use Neutron's 1500kg TMI capabilities. This would also leave Photon with lot more DV to do more increasing missions eg visit Demios or Phobos.  NB these EscaPADE Photons have DV of 3km/s.
Dry 200kg, wet &lt;550kg, ISP 320
But Neutron has not flown yet either, so it's in the same category as New Glenn for a 2024 launch of EscaPADE. If they really want to fly in summer 2024, they will need to start shifting to F9 very soon.

Read posts carefully before replying.
Robotbeat was talking about future missions

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Re: Photon to Mars - NASA ESCAPADE mission - Oct 2024
« Reply #37 on: 10/20/2023 07:27 pm »


That’s awesome. I hope there are dozens of missions like this. Rideshare to GTO and then go to deep space. I could see a mission like that, maybe 500-1100kg to GTO, costing just $10 million in launch costs. That drastically expands how many destinations can be reached in a budget constrained environment. Go to every planet that solar power even just sort of works at.
RL would rather customer pays bit more and use Neutron's 1500kg TMI capabilities. This would also leave Photon with lot more DV to do more increasing missions eg visit Demios or Phobos.  NB these EscaPADE Photons have DV of 3km/s.
Dry 200kg, wet &lt;550kg, ISP 320
But Neutron has not flown yet either, so it's in the same category as New Glenn for a 2024 launch of EscaPADE. If they really want to fly in summer 2024, they will need to start shifting to F9 very soon.

Read posts carefully before replying.
Robotbeat was talking about future missions
I'm terribly  sorry. I simply assumed it was in reference to EscaPADE, given the title of this thread.  Maybe we should ask the moderator to delete all non-EscaPADE posts.

Offline FutureSpaceTourist

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Re: Photon to Mars - NASA ESCAPADE mission - Oct 2024
« Reply #38 on: 11/13/2023 07:23 pm »
https://twitter.com/rocketlab/status/1724157282718777357

Quote
What do you pack for a mission to Mars orbit to study the red planet’s magnetosphere?

Why a Floating Potential Probe, Planar Ion Probe & Electrostatic Analyzer, of course!

Exciting times at our spacecraft production complex where scientific instruments are being integrated with our twin spacecraft designed to study Mars’ magnetosphere in a mission for @NASA & @UCBSSL.

Quote
The ESCAPADE mission will study how Mars’ magnetosphere – the magnetized area of space around the red planet – interacts with the solar wind & the processes driving its atmospheric escape. By studying these processes on Mars, scientists hope to gain key insights into how they function both on Earth and at other planets.

More here:

https://escapade.ssl.berkeley.edu/science-goals-objectives/

https://twitter.com/rocketlab/status/1724158360516497821

Quote
Rocket Lab’s role? We’re developing two spacecraft to enable the mission. Named Blue & Gold, the twin spacecraft will spend 11 months in interplanetary space before entering a highly elliptical orbit around Mars. They will spend 6 months gradually descending into the same nominal science orbit, passing within 160 km of the Martian surface at closest approach.

Quote
But back to the instruments!

The golden sphere-on-a-stick is the Floating Potential Probe. It measures how electrically charged the spacecraft gets (positively or negatively).

📸 @akd_ams

https://twitter.com/rocketlab/status/1724158865980498066

Quote
The flat golden square is the Planar Ion Probe, which can measure both solar extreme ultraviolet irradiance and low energy ion density at low altitudes (<500 km).

📸 @akd_ams

https://twitter.com/rocketlab/status/1724159138266259600

Quote
The largest instrument is called the ESCAPADE Electrostatic Analyzer. It measures ions over a wide range of energies & angles, incl. those escaping Mars. It also measures energetic electrons. These electrons remain tightly bound to magnetic field lines, spiraling around the lines at very high speeds & causing aurora when they smash into the atmosphere. The energies and angles of these electrons tell us where Martian magnetic fields connect.

📸 @akd_ams

Offline GewoonLukas_

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Re: Photon to Mars - NASA ESCAPADE mission - Oct 2024
« Reply #39 on: 11/20/2023 06:45 pm »
Cross-post:

Quote
Bradley Smith, director of NASA's Launch Services Program, says the agency's Mars-bound ESCAPADE smallsats will fly on an "incredibly ambitious first launch for (Blue Origin's) New Glenn" rocket "around this time next year."

https://twitter.com/StephenClark1/status/1726684109593010450
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Online Steven Pietrobon

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Re: Photon to Mars - NASA ESCAPADE mission - Oct 2024
« Reply #40 on: 11/21/2023 04:08 am »
Bradley Smith, director of NASA's Launch Services Program, says the agency's Mars-bound ESCAPADE smallsats will fly on an "incredibly ambitious first launch for (Blue Origin's) New Glenn" rocket "around this time next year."

Should the thread title be updated to "Nov 2024"?
« Last Edit: 11/21/2023 04:09 am by Steven Pietrobon »
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Offline Galactic Penguin SST

Re: Photon to Mars - NASA ESCAPADE mission - Oct 2024
« Reply #41 on: 11/21/2023 04:40 am »
Bradley Smith, director of NASA's Launch Services Program, says the agency's Mars-bound ESCAPADE smallsats will fly on an "incredibly ambitious first launch for (Blue Origin's) New Glenn" rocket "around this time next year."

Should the thread title be updated to "Nov 2024"?

Reading the other thread, it seems the launch window is centered around August. November would be too late in terms of delta-v.
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Offline Zed_Noir

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Re: Photon to Mars - NASA ESCAPADE mission - Oct 2024
« Reply #42 on: 11/21/2023 09:01 am »
Bradley Smith, director of NASA's Launch Services Program, says the agency's Mars-bound ESCAPADE smallsats will fly on an "incredibly ambitious first launch for (Blue Origin's) New Glenn" rocket "around this time next year."
Hope NASA have the budget for a replacement pair of ESCAPADE smallsats. Since inaugural flight of an orbital launcher is a crap shoot. Especially for a trans Mars injection trajectory.

Offline TrevorMonty

Re: Photon to Mars - NASA ESCAPADE mission - Oct 2024
« Reply #43 on: 11/21/2023 09:43 am »
Bradley Smith, director of NASA's Launch Services Program, says the agency's Mars-bound ESCAPADE smallsats will fly on an "incredibly ambitious first launch for (Blue Origin's) New Glenn" rocket "around this time next year."
Hope NASA have the budget for a replacement pair of ESCAPADE smallsats. Since inaugural flight of an orbital launcher is a crap shoot. Especially for a trans Mars injection trajectory.
RL would be happy to build replacements and maybe launch them on Neutron 2026.

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Re: Photon to Mars - NASA ESCAPADE mission - Oct 2024
« Reply #44 on: 11/22/2023 03:35 am »
Reading the other thread, it seems the launch window is centered around August. November would be too late in terms of delta-v.

This pork-chop plot seems to indicate the best window in terms of delta-V is from November to December!

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mars_launch_windows_2019%E2%80%932024.png
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Re: Photon to Mars - NASA ESCAPADE mission - Oct 2024
« Reply #45 on: 12/22/2023 06:42 am »
https://twitter.com/rocketlab/status/1738019123362500718

Quote
Another step closer to Mars!

Our space systems team installs the engine on one of our twin spacecraft for @NASA and @ucbssl's ESCAPADE mission. A delicate and precise operation but they make it look easy.

📸 @akd_ams

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