The U.S. space agency said the decision was taken after solar radiation levels spiked to potentially hazardous levels, posing risks to the spacecraft’s systems and communications. “Due to highly elevated solar activity and its potential effects on the ESCAPADE spacecraft, NASA is postponing launch until space weather conditions improve,” Blue Origin confirmed in a statement.
The storm, one of the strongest in the current solar cycle, has unleashed multiple solar flares and coronal mass ejections. These phenomena release charged particles capable of disrupting satellite electronics, damaging sensitive components, and affecting launch trajectories—conditions NASA deemed unsafe for flight.
The ESCAPADE (Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers) mission involves two identical small satellites designed to study how solar wind interacts with Mars’ magnetic field and atmosphere. The findings are expected to deepen scientific understanding of how Mars lost much of its atmosphere—a key question in the search for signs of past habitability on the Red Planet.
NASA and Blue Origin teams are now working closely with space weather monitoring agencies to identify the next viable launch window. While a new date has not been announced, officials emphasized that mission safety will take precedence over schedule.
For now, New Glenn remains on standby at Cape Canaveral, awaiting calmer solar conditions before embarking on its inaugural deep-space journey.
