NASA goes on an ESCAPADE – twin small, low-cost orbiters will examine Mars’ atmosphere

(The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.)

Christopher Carr , Georgia Institute of Technology and Glenn Lightsey , Georgia Institute of Technology

(THE CONVERSATION) Envision a time when hundreds of spacecraft are exploring the solar system and beyond. That’s the future that NASA’s ESCAPADE , or Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers, mission will help unleash: one where small, low-cost spacecraft enable researchers to learn rapidly, iterate, and advance technology and science.

The ESCAPADE mission launched on Nov. 13, 2025 on a Blue Origin New Glenn rocket , sending two small orbiters to Mars to study its atmosphere. As aerospace engineers , we’re excited about this mission because not