CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (WWSB) - A mission to find clues as to why Mars lost its once-dense atmosphere billions of years ago lifted off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station Thursday.

The New Glenn rocket lifted off about 45 minutes later than scheduled due to an unplanned hold with 20 seconds to go. The launch team evaluated the problem and the countdown clock was reset for a launch at 3:45 p.m. EST.

The two-stage rocket, built by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’ company Blue Origin, carries the Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers (EscaPADE) mission consisting of two spacecraft scheduled to enter Martian orbit in September 2027.

The first stage of the New Glenn is design to be resuable and is set to reenter the Earth’s atmosphere and land on a recovery ship in the Atlantic.

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