The ESCAPADE mission, which launched to space on a Blue Origin rocket on Thursday, breaks the mold of how planetary science missions typically come together.

NASA's Perseverance rover's Mastcam-Z camera captured the Ingenuity helicopter's 47th Mars flight. Credit: Space.com | footage courtesy: NASA/JPL-Caltech | edited by Steve Spaleta Music: Terminal Shut

New Glenn is the first orbital rocket developed by Blue Origin, which was founded by Amazon's Jeff Bezos. The two-stage heavy lifter had just one flight under its belt before Thursday — a test mission that lifted off in January 2025, sending a prototype version of Blue Origin's Blue Ring spacecraft platform to orbit.

Helicopters on Mars may sound like something from a science fiction novel — or perhaps just a typical "Doctor Who" episode. But actually, they're not fully confined to the world of sci-fi; after all, Mars exploration has a promising future ahead ...

Learn about past and upcoming Mars missions, NASA's role in Mars exploration, and the future of human space travel, including technological innovations and challenges.

When America first dreamed of sending astronauts to another world, German-American rocket engineer Wernher von Braun didn’t want to go to the Moon. He wanted to send dozens of people to Mars. He envisioned a winged craft soaring through the Red Planet ...

A mudstone sample from Jezero Crater shows textures and minerals that on Earth often form through microbial activity. Scientists caution that nonbiological processes could also explain the features, and proof will require Earth-based lab testing.

Blue Origin successfully launched NASA’s twin Mars orbiters on the New Glenn rocket and achieved its first booster landing, marking a major milestone for the company’s lunar and deep-space ambitions.V

The NASA Perseverance rover's left Mastcam-Z camera captured an image of Mars helicopter Ingenuity. The little Red Planet chopper flew for the 72nd and final time after sustaining damage to its rotor blades.