The Latest Update on New Glenn's Recent Payloads...

NASA / UCB - SSL / RL / NAU - Radiant/Lucint

NASA’s Mars-bound ESCAPADE Mission Captures First ‘Selfies’ (News Release)

About a week after its launch, NASA’s ESCAPADE (Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers) mission has already captured its first images: a pair of self-portraits showing part of the spacecraft as the twin explorers speed away from Earth.

On November 21, one of the two ESCAPADE spacecraft used its Visible and Infrared Observation System (VISIONS) cameras, provided by Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, to capture these images, showing part of a solar panel on the spacecraft.

The images prove that the cameras are working well. The visible-light image also suggests that the spacecraft should have the sensitivity to image Martian aurora from orbit. The infrared camera will be used at Mars to better understand how materials on the surface heat up and cool down during Mars’ day-night cycle and over the planet’s seasons.

The second ESCAPADE spacecraft also successfully took its first photos, but it was targeted towards deep space, so the images were simply black.

The twin ESCAPADE spacecraft, built by Rocket Lab and ultimately bound for Mars, launched on November 13 aboard a Blue Origin New Glenn rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Once the ESCAPADE spacecraft reach Mars, they will study how a million-mile-per-hour stream of material flowing from the Sun, known as the solar wind, interacts with the Martian environment and how that drives atmospheric loss at the Red Planet.

Before they head for Mars, though, the two spacecraft are following a “loiter” or “Earth-proximity” orbit around a location in space about a million miles from Earth called Lagrange point 2. In November 2026, they will return to Earth to use our planet’s gravity to slingshot their way to Mars. They will arrive at the Red Planet in September 2027.

Source: NASA.Gov

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One week ago, we launched our second New Glenn mission. Today, "Never Tell Me The Odds" is back at LC-36 for refurbishment to prepare for its next flight! pic.twitter.com/1FxeStoeSB

— Dave Limp (@davill) November 20, 2025

New Images Of Our Solar System's Latest Galactic Visitor Have Been Released...

NASA / JPL - Caltech / University of Arizona

View Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS Through NASA’s Multiple Lenses (News Release)

NASA is in the midst of an unprecedented Solar System-wide observation campaign, turning its spacecraft and space telescopes to follow comet 3I/ATLAS, the third known interstellar object to pass through our Solar System. Twelve NASA assets have captured and processed imagery of the comet since it was first discovered on July 1, and several others will have opportunities to capture more images as the comet continues to pass through our Solar System.

By observing the comet from so many locations, NASA has an opportunity to learn about the ways that 3I/ATLAS differs from our Solar System’s home-grown comets and give scientists a new window into how the compositions of other systems may differ from our own.

Observations from Mars

The closest imagery of the comet was taken by NASA spacecraft at Mars. Earlier this fall, 3I/ATLAS passed by Mars from a distance of 19 million miles, where it was observed by three NASA spacecraft. The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) captured one of the closest images of the comet, while the MAVEN (Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN) orbiter obtained ultraviolet images that will help scientists understand the comet’s make-up.

Meanwhile, the Perseverance rover grabbed a faint glimpse from the surface of Mars.

Sun watchers’ view

Some of NASA’s heliophysics missions have the unique ability to observe areas of the sky near the Sun, which allowed them to track comet 3I/ATLAS as it passed behind our Sun as seen from Earth, making observations with ground-based telescopes impossible. NASA’s STEREO (Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory) captured images from September 11 to October 2, and the ESA (European Space Agency) and NASA mission SOHO (Solar and Heliospheric Observatory) observed the comet from October 15 to 26. Images from NASA’s PUNCH (Polarimeter to Unify the Corona and Heliosphere) mission, which launched earlier this year, reveal the comet’s tail during observations from September 20 to October 3.

Despite previously observing and discovering thousands of comets, this is the first time that NASA’s heliophysics missions have purposefully observed an object originating in another solar system.

Asteroid explorers

NASA’s Psyche and Lucy spacecraft, currently on their respective outbound journeys to study various asteroid targets throughout the Solar System, were able to observe 3I/ATLAS en route. On September 8 and 9, Psyche acquired four observations of the comet over eight hours from a distance of 33 million miles. These images will help scientists refine the comet’s trajectory.

On September 16, Lucy took a series of images from 240 million miles away. Stacking these images together provides detail on the comet’s coma and tail.

The NASA-funded ATLAS (Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System) telescope in Chile discovered 3I/ATLAS on July 1. Later that month it was viewed by NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope. In August, both NASA’s James Webb Telescope and SPHEREx (Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization and Ices Explorer) captured imagery.

Comet 3I/ATLAS will fly closest to Earth about Friday, December 19, at 170 million miles, which is almost twice the distance between the Earth and Sun. NASA spacecraft will continue to observe the comet as it makes its journey through the Solar System, passing the orbit of Jupiter in spring 2026.

Source: NASA.Gov

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NASA / JPL - Caltech / ASU

Blue Origin's Giant Orbital-class Rocket Has Successfully Flown for the Second Time...

Blue Origin

New Glenn Launches NASA’s ESCAPADE, Lands Fully-Reusable Booster (News Release)

Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Fla. — The New Glenn orbital launch vehicle successfully completed its second mission, deploying NASA’s Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers (ESCAPADE) twin spacecraft into the designated loiter orbit, and landing the fully-reusable first stage on Jacklyn in the Atlantic Ocean.

New Glenn’s seven BE-4 engines ignited on Thursday, November 13, 2025, at 3:55:01 PM EST / 20:55:01 UTC from Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

“We achieved full mission success today, and I am so proud of the team,” said Dave Limp, CEO, Blue Origin. “It turns out Never Tell Me The Odds had perfect odds—never before in history has a booster this large nailed the landing on the second try. This is just the beginning as we rapidly scale our flight cadence and continue delivering for our customers.”

The ESCAPADE spacecraft will begin their journey to Mars once the planets have returned to the ideal alignment in fall 2026. ESCAPADE will use two identical spacecraft to investigate how the solar wind interacts with Mars’ magnetic environment and how this interaction drives the planet’s atmospheric escape. In addition to deploying the NASA spacecraft, the Viasat HaloNet demonstration onboard New Glenn’s second stage successfully executed the first flight test of Viasat’s telemetry data relay service for NASA’s Communications Services Project.

“Congratulations to Blue Origin, Rocket Lab, UC Berkeley and all of our partners on the successful launch of ESCAPADE," said the acting NASA Administrator, Secretary Sean Duffy. "This heliophysics mission will help reveal how Mars became a desert planet, and how solar eruptions affect the Martian surface. Every launch of New Glenn provides data that will be essential when we launch MK-1 through Artemis.”

New Glenn is foundational to advancing our customers’ critical missions and our own. The vehicle underpins our efforts to establish sustained human presence on the Moon, harness in-space resources, provide multi-mission, multi-orbit mobility through Blue Ring, and establish destinations in low-Earth orbit.

The New Glenn program has several vehicles in production and multiple years of orders. In addition to NASA and Viasat, customers include Amazon’s Project Kuiper, AST SpaceMobile, and several telecommunications providers, among others. The mission marked the vehicle’s second National Security Space Launch (NSSL) certification flight.

Blue Origin is certifying New Glenn with the U.S. Space Force for the NSSL program to meet emerging national security objectives.

"Today was a tremendous achievement for the New Glenn team, opening a new era for Blue Origin and the industry as we look to launch, land, repeat, again and again," said Jordan Charles, Vice President, New Glenn. "We've made significant progress on manufacturing at rate and building ahead of need. Our primary focus remains focused on increasing our cadence and working through our manifest."

Source: Blue Origin

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Blue Origin


Blue Origin


Blue Origin


Blue Origin


Blue Origin

Rocket Lab


Rocket Lab / UC Berkeley

My SoCal Sports Wall of Fame, Updated!

Even though the Los Angeles Times was one day late in publishing coverage for Game 7 of the World Series in its newspaper (just like what happened last year), that didn't stop me from adhering to a tradition started in mid-2000 (when Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant won their first NBA title with the Lakers) and displaying today's Dodgers-celebrating printed edition on my wall at home!

Yesterday, I woke up at 4:00 in the morning to buy the L.A. Times paper—at a 7-Eleven over 15 miles from my house. The donut shop that I went to last year no longer carries the L.A. Times (only a Chinese newspaper that costs $1.00 per copy), and another 7-Eleven that I was planning to buy the commemorative edition from didn't have the paper delivered yet...supposedly (7-Eleven clerks are giving me the impression that they don't tell the truth). There were, I think, four copies of today's L.A. Times left at the 7-Eleven I eventually went to.

And in case you're wondering— no, I didn't go to today's championship parade in downtown Los Angeles. This is the second straight Dodgers celebration that I couldn't attend because I had a doctor's appointment in the late afternoon. I definitely intend on going to the parade if they manage to three-peat next year!

Go Dodger Blue.

THE DODGERS ARE BACK 2 BACK CHAMPIONS!

Over a year after they beat the New York Yankees in five games to win their second World Series championship since 2020, the Los Angeles Dodgers were once again at the top of the baseball world when they defeated the Toronto Blue Jays, 5-4, in a thrilling Game 7 tonight!

The Dodgers' victory is the first time in 25 years since a Major League Baseball team won back-to-back titles...the last time being when the Yankees were able to three-peat from 1998 to 2000. This is also the first time since 2009 that an MLB team reached the Fall Classic in two consecutive years—with the Philadelphia Phillies winning against the Tampa Bay Rays in 2008 but losing to the Yankees the following year. The Dodgers are also the first team to clinch back-to-back World Series championships on the road since the Cincinnati Reds pulled off the feat in 1975 and '76, respectively!

In regards to team stats, Mookie Betts now has four rings...from the 2018, 2020, 2024 and this year's World Series, respectively. Clayton Kershaw enters retirement as a 3-time World Series champion, while Shohei Ohtani went from winning zero titles during his six years with the Anaheim—err, Los Angeles Angels to securing two championships in his first two seasons in the City of Angels. And last but not least, Yoshinobu Yamamoto—who was given a $325 million contract to play with the Dodgers (and earned it by pitching two complete games this postseason, and was able to secure L.A.'s victory in the last three innings of Game 7)—is the 2025 World Series Most Valuable Player!

(Yamamoto is the second Japanese-born baseball player, behind the Yankees' designated hitter Hideki Matsui in 2009, to become a World Series MVP.)

The Dodgers' championship parade will take place in downtown Los Angeles this Monday. Assuming that Mark Walter (who officially owns the Los Angeles Lakers as well) and Co. keep dishin' out the money to get topnotch talent (like pitchers Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow...who both played on the Rays when they lost to the Dodgers in 2020) to play at Chavez Ravine, then Dodgers fans can expect more celebrations in the years to come.

Go Dodger Blue!

America's Newest X-Plane Has Finally Become Airborne!

Lockheed Martin

X-59 Soars: A New Era In Supersonic Flight Begins (Press Release)

PALMDALE, Calif. -- Lockheed Martin Skunk Works® (NYSE: LMT), in partnership with NASA, successfully completed the first flight of the X-59, a revolutionary, quiet supersonic aircraft designed to pave the way for faster commercial air travel.

The X-59 took off from Skunk Works' facility at U.S. Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, California, before landing near NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. The X-59 performed exactly as planned, verifying initial flying qualities and air data performance on the way to a safe landing at its new home.

"We are thrilled to achieve the first flight of the X-59," said OJ Sanchez, vice president and general manager of Lockheed Martin Skunk Works. "This aircraft is a testament to the innovation and expertise of our joint team, and we are proud to be at the forefront of quiet supersonic technology development."

The X-59 is a one-of-a-kind supersonic aircraft designed to demonstrate the ability to fly at supersonic speeds while reducing the sonic boom to a gentle thump. In doing so, the X-59 aims to overcome one of the primary barriers to supersonic commercial flight, which is currently restricted over land due to noise concerns. The X-59's successful development and flight testing will inform the establishment of new data-driven acceptable noise thresholds related to supersonic commercial flight over land, paving the way for a new generation of supersonic aircraft that can efficiently and sustainably transport passengers and cargo twice as fast as aircraft today.

"X-59 is a symbol of American ingenuity. The American spirit knows no bounds. It's part of our DNA – the desire to go farther, faster and even quieter than anyone has ever gone before. This work sustains America's place as the leader in aviation and has the potential to change the way the public flies," said Sean Duffy, acting NASA Administrator.

Skunk Works will continue to lead the aircraft's initial flight test campaign, working closely with NASA to expand the X-59's flight envelope over the coming months. Part of this test journey will include the X-59's first supersonic flights, where the aircraft will achieve the optimal speed and altitude for a quiet boom. This will enable NASA to operate the X-59 to measure its sound signature and conduct community acceptance testing.

This achievement demonstrates Lockheed Martin's commitment to pushing the boundaries of aerospace innovation and its dedication to creating cutting-edge solutions for the future of flight.

Source: Lockheed Martin

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Jarod M. Hamilton


Jarod M. Hamilton

The X-59 has completed its first flight! 🎉✈️
A new era of supersonic flight begins with Skunk Works® and @NASA. pic.twitter.com/iqtNWC6TxJ

— Lockheed Martin (@LockheedMartin) October 28, 2025

The Latest Update on Astrobotic's Next Moon Mission...

Astrobotic

Griffin-1 Mission Update (Press Release)

Griffin-1 continues to gain momentum on the path to deliver Astrolab’s FLIP (FLEX Lunar Innovation Platform) rover, Astrobotic’s own CubeRover®, and several additional payloads to the Moon. Read on for updates on integration, payloads and software testing.

Propulsion Integration

Griffin-1’s propulsion architecture centers around four high-performance Composite Overwrapped Pressure Vessel (COPV) propellant tanks engineered to be both lightweight and structurally robust, reliably containing substantial propellant loads at extreme operating pressures. Once the four propellant tanks are installed, final integration activities will be completed, and Griffin-1 will undergo environmental acceptance testing to ensure that the lander will endure the challenging environments of launch, space and the lunar surface.

Avionics Ready for Launch

In-house designed avionics flight hardware has been assembled and accepted for flight. These systems form the backbone of Griffin’s on-board control and telemetry, clearing a critical path towards spacecraft integration and ongoing system electrical testing. Designing, building and testing our avionics systems in-house enables the team to accelerate the development cycle, allowing for low-cost, rapid iterations that reduce risks and enhance performance.

Tighter control of this process also enables the team to design core products that are more easily adapted to future mission requirements, decreasing the cost and schedule for the next missions to space.

In tandem with flight-equivalent avionics, Astrobotic has implemented a fully closed-loop simulation of the descent and landing sequence. This system uses our custom LunaRay software to generate real-time images and 3D point clouds (dense sets of spatial data points that represent the shape and features of the lunar surface). These are processed by our Terrain Relative Navigation (TRN) and Hazard Detection & Avoidance (HDA) systems, and are a vital step in validating our autonomous landing technologies for a GPS-denied environment.

Griffin-1 Manifest

Astrolab’s FLIP (FLEX Lunar Innovation Platform) rover is undergoing developmental thermal vacuum testing, and core rover systems are integrated. Astrolab has individually tested key units and completed integrated functional testing of avionics, power and telecommunications. In addition, we have completed mobility and egress testing using the FLIP test platform.

Over the next several months, Astrolab will complete payload integration and vehicle-level protoqualification testing. The mission will demonstrate critical technologies—including telerobotic operations, lunar mobility, solar power generation and thermal resilience—that form the foundation of Astrolab’s larger FLEX rover. In addition to commercial and government payload operations, Astrolab will conduct key experiments in mobility, perception, dust characterization, guidance and navigation, and communication.

BEACON‘s joint mission development with Astrobotic and Mission Control is well underway. A simulation has been completed on a Flatsat, a high-fidelity electrical copy of the rover used for testing. The rover has successfully connected and communicated with the Griffin lunar lander’s Flatsat.

This integrated simulation, which included CubeRover® operating with Mission Control’s Spacefarer™ software, is helping finalize the rover’s software ahead of its expected completion at the end of October.

All secondary payloads have been received and are undergoing final physical and functional checkouts on our Production FlatSat system, which supports end-to-end systems and software verification.

Structural Integration

Griffin’s core structure is nearing full integration. Pressurant tanks, ramps, attitude control thrusters and solar panels have all successfully undergone fit checks.

Looking Ahead

With engine qualification testing underway and critical systems coming online, Griffin-1 is advancing towards the Moon. Each milestone brings us closer to delivering payloads to the lunar surface, demonstrating precision landing, and advancing sustainable lunar infrastructure. The team is targeting the next viable launch window, which opens in July 2026.

Stay tuned for more mission updates as we near completion of Griffin-1 for the Moon and beyond.

Source: Astrobotic

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Astrolab

What Could've Been with 'Trident'...

L.M. Prockter et al. LPI / JPL / SwRI

Just thought I'd point out that Trident, an Outer Planet flyby mission that was under consideration by NASA five years ago, would've launched sometime this month (between October 10th and October 30th, to be exact) had NASA selected it as one of its next Discovery-class spacecraft back in 2021. Trident ended up losing to two Venus missions, DAVINCI and VERITAS, that will either be cancelled for budgetary reasons by Trump or not launch till later next decade.

Had Trident not launched this month, it could've lifted off in October of next year for an arrival at Neptune and its enigmatic moon Triton in September of 2038. Would've, could've, should've.


L.M. Prockter et al. LPI / JPL / SwRI

On This Day in 2005: My Life Got Sidetracked by Pluto...

NASA / Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory / Southwest Research Institute

So today marks 20 years since I found out online that I could've placed my name on a compact disc that flew on NASA's New Horizons spacecraft to Pluto and beyond.

Unfortunately, I missed the deadline by two weeks (the last day to submit was September 12, 2005, I believe)...which obviously led to immense disappointment that caused me to compensate for this missed opportunity by being on the lookout for the next online "Send Your Name into Space" campaign by NASA, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) or a commercial entity over the next two decades.

It was in the years after New Horizons turned me back into a full-fledged space geek that I got to put my moniker or some other type of mark on such spacecraft as Dawn, the Phoenix Mars lander, JAXA's Kaguya lunar orbiter, the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, the Kepler space telescope, JAXA's Akatsuki Venus orbiter, JAXA's IKAROS solar sail, The Planetary Society's LightSail 2, JAXA's Hayabusa2 asteroid orbiter, OSIRIS-REx, the Curiosity Mars rover, the Perseverance Mars rover, the InSight Mars lander, the MAVEN Mars orbiter, the Parker Solar Probe, JAXA and the European Space Agency's Mercury-bound BepiColombo probe, the Jupiter-bound Europa Clipper, Intuitive Machine's Odysseus lunar lander, Lunar Outpost's MAPP Moon rover, Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost lunar lander and such space shuttle missions as STS-133, STS-134 and STS-135 respectively. Also, my name flew on Orion's Exploration Flight Test-1 mission in 2014, and Artemis 1 in 2022!

But yea, I can literally have my name on a hundred spacecraft scattered around our Solar System, and they still won't make up for the fact that I could've had a virtual presence on a future interstellar probe like New Horizons. Don't get me wrong though— I'm so grateful that NASA and Co. gave the general public the opportunity to be a part of all those exciting missions listed above. Another New Horizons-type spacecraft, Trident, was so close to becoming a reality in 2021...but it ultimately lost out to two Venus missions, VERITAS and DAVINCI.

An interstellar probe that's literally called the Interstellar Probe was in contention in last year's 2024 Heliophysics Decadal Survey, but the National Academy of Sciences ultimately overlooked this daring project for two missions that are nowhere near as inspiring as what the Interstellar Probe would've been.

So yea— The wait continues for another potential interstellar explorer to be greenlit for development...preferably by NASA. Until then, you can fly your name to the Moon via NASA's Artemis 2 mission! This crewed flight to the Moon (the first since Apollo 17 in 1972) is set to launch no later than April of next year. That is all.


NASA / Johns Hopkins APL / Southwest Research Institute / Serge Brunier / Marc Postman / Dan Durda

Brought Back from Cancellation, Artemis' Robotic Rover Has Found a New Ride to the Lunar Surface...

Blue Origin

NASA Selects Blue Origin to Deliver VIPER Rover to Moon’s South Pole (News Release)

As part of the agency’s Artemis campaign, NASA has awarded Blue Origin of Kent, Washington, a CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) task order with an option to deliver a rover to the Moon’s South Pole region. NASA’s VIPER (Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover) will search for volatile resources, such as ice, on the lunar surface and collect science data to support future exploration at the Moon and Mars.

“NASA is leading the world in exploring more of the Moon than ever before, and this delivery is just one of many ways we’re leveraging U.S. industry to support a long-term American presence on the lunar surface,” said acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy. “Our rover will explore the extreme environment of the lunar South Pole, traveling to small, permanently shadowed regions to help inform future landing sites for our astronauts and better understand the Moon’s environment – important insights for sustaining humans over longer missions, as America leads our future in space.”

The CLPS task order has a total potential value of $190 million. This is the second CLPS lunar delivery awarded to Blue Origin. Their first delivery – using their Blue Moon Mark 1 (MK1) robotic lander – is targeted for launch later this year to deliver NASA’s Stereo Cameras for Lunar-Plume Surface Studies and Laser Retroreflective Array payloads to the Moon’s South Pole region.

With this new award, Blue Origin will deliver VIPER to the lunar surface in late 2027, using a second Blue Moon MK1 lander, which is in production. NASA previously canceled the VIPER project and has since explored alternative approaches to achieve the agency’s goals of mapping potential off-planet resources, like water.

“NASA is committed to studying and exploring the Moon, including learning more about water on the lunar surface, to help determine how we can harness local resources for future human exploration,” said Nicky Fox, associate administrator, Science Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters in Washington. “We’ve been looking for creative, cost-effective approaches to accomplish these exploration goals. This private sector-developed landing capability enables this delivery and focuses our investments accordingly – supporting American leadership in space and ensuring our long-term exploration is robust and affordable.”

The task order, called CS-7, has an award base to design the payload-specific accommodations and to demonstrate how Blue Origin’s flight design will off-load the rover to the lunar surface. There is an option on the contract to deliver and safely deploy the rover to the Moon’s surface. NASA will make the decision to exercise that option after the execution and review of the base task and of Blue Origin’s first flight of the Blue Moon MK1 lander.

This unique approach will reduce the agency’s cost and technical risk. The rover has a targeted science window for its 100-day mission that requires a landing by late 2027.

Blue Origin is responsible for the complete landing mission architecture and will conduct design, analysis and testing of a large lunar lander capable of safely delivering the lunar volatiles science rover to the Moon. Blue Origin will also handle end-to-end payload integration, planning and support, and post-landing payload deployment activities. NASA will conduct rover operations and science planning.

“The search for lunar volatiles plays a key role in NASA’s exploration of the Moon, with important implications for both science and human missions under Artemis,” said Joel Kearns, deputy associate administrator for exploration, Science Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters. “This delivery could show us where ice is most likely to be found and easiest to access, as a future resource for humans. And by studying these sources of lunar water, we also gain valuable insight into the distribution and origin of volatiles across the Solar System, helping us better understand the processes that have shaped our space environment and how our inner Solar System has evolved.”

Through CLPS, American companies continue to demonstrate leadership in commercial space advancing capabilities and accomplishing NASA’s goal for a commercial lunar economy. NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley led the VIPER rover development and will lead its science investigations, and NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston provided rover engineering development for Ames.

Source: NASA.Gov

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NASA