Blue Origin now targeting mid-October for launch of twin NASA Mars probes on 2nd-ever New Glenn rocket

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A static hot-fire test for New Glenn's first stage is expected early next month.

Preparations for the second-ever launch of Blue Origin's powerful New Glenn rocket are underway on Florida's Space Coast, as NASA's twin ESCAPADE probes await their mission to Mars.

Blue Origin had originally targeted no earlier than Sept. 29 for the second New Glenn launch, designated NG-2, but now says the mission is slated for NET mid-October. The rocket's ESCAPADE payload is awaiting vehicle integration at Blue Origin's Astrotech Space Operations Facility in Titusville, Florida, while New Glenn's first stage (GS1) booster is prepped for an engine test at Launch Complex-36 (LC-36).

"ESCAPADE is at Astrotech and GS1 is headed to LC-36 in early October. Next up is the vehicle hotfire mid-month with launch soon thereafter," Blue Origin wrote in a post on social media.

https://www.space.com/space-exploration/launches-spacecraft/blue-origin-now-targeting-mid-october-for-launch-of-twin-nasa-mars-probes-on-2nd-ever-new-glenn-rocket