Blue Origin Delays Mars Mission as Storms Hit Florida

Blue Origin’s much-anticipated New Glenn launch carrying NASA’s twin Mars probes was called off on Sunday, November 9, after storm clouds rolled over Florida’s Space Coast, forcing the mission team to postpone liftoff.

The powerful New Glenn rocket was set to lift off from Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, sending NASA’s twin ESCAPADE orbiters on their journey to study Mars’ atmosphere. But as the countdown neared its final moments, thick clouds and lightning warnings violated the cumulus cloud rule, halting the mission minutes before launch.

“Today’s NG-2 launch is scrubbed due to weather,” Blue Origin’s spokesperson confirmed during a live webcast. “We came down to the wire—and then there you have it.”

FAA Restrictions Add to Launch Tensions

The delay came at a crucial time for the private spaceflight industry. Starting Monday, November 10, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will enforce temporary restrictions on commercial daytime launches amid a government shutdown, complicating Blue Origin’s next attempt.

With those new rules in place, the company worked closely with the FAA and NASA to secure an exception for a new window. The next launch attempt is now scheduled no earlier than Wednesday, November 12, between 2:50 PM and 4:17 PM EST.

A Mission Years in the Making

NASA’s ESCAPADE (Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers) marks the agency’s first Mars mission in five years. Built by Rocket Lab and managed by scientists at UC Berkeley, the twin orbiters will study how solar winds erode Mars’ atmosphere—a key to understanding how the Red Planet lost its once-thick air and surface water.

Costing under $80 million, ESCAPADE is part of NASA’s effort to deploy smaller, more cost-efficient missions to expand interplanetary research.

The New Glenn rocket, standing an impressive 321 feet (98 meters) tall, is Blue Origin’s next big step toward reusable heavy-lift rockets. This flight—codenamed NG-2—will attempt to land its first stage on an ocean barge for recovery and reuse, after its maiden test earlier this year ended with a missed landing but successful orbit insertion.

With weather and federal restrictions in play, all eyes now turn to November 12, when Blue Origin hopes clear skies will finally allow liftoff. The success of this mission could mark a defining moment for the company’s long-term ambitions—paving the way for future lunar and deep-space missions under NASA’s expanding commercial partnerships.

If the weather cooperates, New Glenn could soon send the ESCAPADE orbiters on their long-awaited voyage to the Red Planet—another step forward in the growing era of private space exploration.