Rocket Lab executed trans-Mars injection burns for NASA’s twin ESCAPADE spacecraft.
Rocket Lab Powers Mars Trajectory
These maneuvers placed the satellites on a precise trajectory to arrive at Mars in September 2027. This was the first powered gravity assist used for a Mars-bound mission. The spacecraft, named Blue and Gold, were launched on November 13, 2025, from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station using Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket.
Spacecraft Execute Powered Flybys
Each of the two spacecraft is roughly the size of a standard refrigerator. They performed a powered flyby of Earth. NASA said that no previous Mars-bound spacecraft has successfully executed this type of powered flyby. The maneuvers were conducted autonomously, with operators from Rocket Lab and UC Berkeley overseeing the process.
During the flybys, the spacecraft reached altitudes between 600 and 1,100 miles above Earth’s surface. This involved an increase of more than 2,000 km/hour. “Performing these TMI maneuvers flawlessly is a testament to the relentless execution of the Rocket Lab team and the ongoing close collaboration of our mission partners at UC Berkeley and NASA. Next stop, Mars,” said Sir Peter Beck, Founder and CEO of Rocket Lab.
Mission Uses Loiter Orbit
The launch occurred when Earth and Mars were on opposite sides of the Sun. Because of this, the ESCAPADE mission could not follow a direct path. This allowed the team to wait until the planets aligned for a gravity assist.
During this waiting period, the spacecraft collected data within Earth’s magnetic tail. NASA reports that this region has not been explored directly by any previous mission.
Financial Markets React to Milestone
Financial analysis of Rocket Lab stock, traded as RKLB, shows a divergence in valuation following the mission milestone. Rocket Lab shares recently closed at $66.15. This followed a 7 day share price return of 26.31% that offset a softer 90 day share price move that declined 17.42%.
Twin Spacecraft Begin Cruise Phase
The twin spacecraft are now in a 10-month cruise phase. During this time, the team will use multiple trajectory correction maneuvers to ensure a precise arrival at the Red Planet.
NASA confirmed that the mission will arrive at Mars on September 7 and September 9, 2027, respectively. The spacecraft are scheduled to enter Martian orbit on September 7 and 9, 2027, with respective engine burns lasting about 11 minutes each.
ESCAPADE will become the first multi-spacecraft mission to fly in formation around Mars. NASA describes this setup as a “String of Pearls.” This formation will allow the team to distinguish between changes it observes are due to changes in these interactions, or changes in its position.
Asal Naseri, acting associate director for flight in NASA’s heliophysics division, said in a statement on November 9: This is the first time NASA has used a powered Earth flyby to speed a spacecraft toward Mars, and we have now done this maneuver twice, flawlessly, in just two days.
Rob Lillis, the mission’s principal investigator at the Space Sciences Laboratory in Berkeley, said: “Our fantastic operations team at the Space Sciences Laboratory in Berkeley put in 110 percent on this critical maneuver, prepared the spacecraft and watched it like a hawk for possible problems. We are excited that we can now focus on interplanetary travel. Onward to Mars!”
Mark Lewis, who leads the Berkeley mission control center, described the maneuver as a conventional Hohmann transfer enhanced by a powered gravity assist. This means the engine fires concurrently with the gravitational boost, a technique no other mission has previously attempted.
The overarching scientific goal of the mission is to investigate how the solar wind—a million-mile-per-hour stream of solar particles—interacts with the Martian atmosphere and contributes to its ongoing loss.