Watch Blue Origin Launch NASA’s Mission to Mars within the Center of a Geomagnetic Storm

Blue Origin will make one other try and launch its New Glenn megarocket—carrying NASA’s ESCAPADE Mars mission—on Thursday afternoon.

After scrubbing the preliminary launch attributable to dangerous climate and a wayward cruise ship on Sunday, Blue Origin stood down from its second attempt on Wednesday attributable to a extreme geomagnetic storm. Although the storm’s severity has weakened, NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center expects it to final via the weekend, and there’s nonetheless an opportunity of extreme circumstances Thursday.

Our second New Glenn launch could also be seen to these within the areas under. Right here’s when and the place to look to the skies! pic.twitter.com/BkItU3x1Bk

— Blue Origin (@blueorigin) November 13, 2025

It’s stunning that Blue Origin is prepared to present the launch one other go earlier than area climate circumstances have cleared. There are appreciable dangers related to launching a rocket throughout a geomagnetic storm, and Blue can’t afford a mishap. Throughout this take a look at flight, New Glenn will launch NASA’s $80 million twin ESCAPADE probes on a journey to the Crimson Planet, so each the corporate and NASA have quite a bit using on this mission.

New Glenn is about to elevate off from Launch Complicated 36 at Cape Canaveral Area Power Station in Florida. The launch window opens at 2:57 p.m. and closes at 4:25 p.m. ET. Blue Origin will start livestreaming the occasion roughly 20 minutes earlier than liftoff, and you may watch proper right here.

LINK:

You too can catch the launch on the third-party livestream under.

Dangerous enterprise

The continued geomagnetic storm started Tuesday night with the arrival of two coronal mass ejections, enormous eruptions of plasma and magnetic area from the Solar’s floor. This triggered a significant disturbance in Earth’s magnetosphere—a geomagnetic storm—that was amplified by the arrival of a 3rd, bigger CME on Wednesday.

Geomagnetic storms can enhance the chance of aurora at latitudes additional south and disrupt energy techniques, radio communications, and spacecraft operations. Meaning there’s a danger of interference with New Glenn’s communications and navigation techniques throughout at the moment’s take a look at flight. These storms additionally warmth the higher environment, which may enhance drag and alter ascent circumstances.

That being mentioned, Blue Origin clearly believes the dangers are minimal sufficient to warrant one other launch try at the moment. Launch operators will proceed to observe area climate circumstances throughout the lead-up to liftoff. If it appears like points may come up, they might nonetheless scrub on the final minute.

Third time’s the allure?

If New Glenn does handle to get off the bottom at the moment, the rocket will deploy the ESCAPADE probes shortly after stage separation. The dual spacecraft will then embark on an 11-month-long flight to Mars, the place they are going to examine how photo voltaic wind interacts with Mars’ magnetic atmosphere and the way this drives the planet’s atmospheric escape, in response to NASA.

On station pic.twitter.com/W45tqZUhAw

— Jeff Bezos (@JeffBezos) November 13, 2025

Blue Origin can even try and get well the booster through a gentle touchdown on a barge named Jacklyn, situated within the Atlantic Ocean. The corporate previously attempted this with its first New Glenn booster, but it surely did not correctly relight three of its BE-4 engines for the reentry burn.

Demonstrating booster restoration is a important milestone for New Glenn, as is deploying a deep-space mission. If Blue Origin can obtain each these objectives at the moment, it would put New Glenn on the map as a robust competitor for NASA science missions and nationwide protection contracts. If issues go poorly, the corporate dangers placing a severe dent in its relationship with NASA. Hopefully, the third time’s the allure.