NASA has initiated its newest mission to explore Mars, receiving support from Jeff Bezos’ space enterprise Blue Origin. Utilizing a ride on a Blue Origin New Glenn rocket, NASA’s duo of Escapade (Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers) spacecraft took off at 3:55 p.m. ET Thursday from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Developed by Rocket Lab, the spacecraft are part of NASA’s inaugural mission overseen by the University of California, Berkeley. Rocket Lab confirmed contact with both spacecraft on the ground, and NASA reported that communication was established by 10:35 p.m. ET.

Blue Origin’s CEO Bezos also shared videos showing the spacecraft in orbit, detaching from the New Glenn rocket, with Earth visible beneath.

As per NASA, the spacecraft will investigate how Mars’ atmosphere is influenced by solar activity and solar winds, supplying essential data for upcoming human missions to the red planet. Acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy commended Blue Origin, Rocket Lab, UC Berkeley, and all collaborators on the successful launch of ESCAPADE, emphasizing the mission’s capacity to uncover how Mars transitioned into a desert planet and how solar flares affect its surface.

Mashable science journalist Elisha Sauers offers additional insights on the Escapade mission, its objectives, and expenditures, pointing out that Escapade could pave the way for forthcoming interplanetary ventures by NASA and the commercial space sector. The mission had an allocated budget of $80 million under NASA’s Small Innovative Missions for Planetary Exploration program, with Rocket Lab constructing the twin probes in 3.5 years for $57 million, a relatively economical price compared to conventional missions.

For those keen on viewing the New Glenn rocket launch NASA’s Escapades, Blue Origin’s livestream is accessible, with the launch taking place approximately at the one hour, 40-minute mark.

For a more thorough exploration of the Escapade mission, Mashable delivers extensive coverage.