Key points: A strong geomagnetic storm triggered by solar eruptions has forced NASA and Blue Origin to postpone the New Glenn launch carrying the twin EscaPADE satellites to Mars. The disturbance was rated G-4 ("severe") by the U.S. Space Weather Prediction Center and is expected to persist into Thursday. EscaPADE’s twin probes — Blue and Gold — will study how charged solar particles interact with Mars’ weak magnetic field and drive atmospheric loss after a roughly 22-month journey.
Severe Geomagnetic Storm Delays Blue Origin's New Glenn Launch Carrying NASA's Twin EscaPADE Mars Probes
Key points: A strong geomagnetic storm triggered by solar eruptions has forced NASA and Blue Origin to postpone the New Glenn launch carrying the twin EscaPADE satellites to Mars. The disturbance was rated G-4 ("severe") by the U.S. Space Weather Prediction Center and is expected to persist into Thursday. EscaPADE’s twin probes — Blue and Gold — will study how charged solar particles interact with Mars’ weak magnetic field and drive atmospheric loss after a roughly 22-month journey.
09:21 AM, 11/13/2025Science
Launch Postponed as Space Weather Turns Severe
A powerful geomagnetic storm triggered by eruptions on the Sun has forced Blue Origin and NASA to delay the New Glenn launch that was to carry two EscaPADE satellites to Mars.
Blue Origin said its two-stage, heavy-lift New Glenn rocket—about 32 stories tall—remains on standby. The flight, which would be the company's first major NASA-scale science mission for a paying customer and its first launch since New Glenn's maiden flight in January, was initially scrubbed on Sunday because of heavy cloud cover.
"However, due to highly elevated solar activity and its potential effects on the EscaPADE spacecraft, NASA is postponing launch until space weather conditions improve," the company said in a notice on its website.
The mission was rescheduled for Wednesday but was postponed again after alerts from the U.S. Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC). The storm followed one or more coronal mass ejections—large expulsions of charged particles from the Sun—and the charged-particle stream was measured at G-4, or "severe," one step below the top G-5 "extreme" rating. Forecasts showed the disturbance persisting at severe strength into Thursday.
Why Space Weather Matters
Geomagnetic storms can disrupt radio and satellite communications and raise atmospheric density at low-Earth orbit, increasing drag on satellites and other spacecraft. A similar increase in atmospheric drag contributed to the February 2022 failure of 40 newly launched Starlink satellites. Elevated solar particle levels can also more readily penetrate Earth's magnetic field and intensify auroral activity.
On Tuesday night, unusually widespread auroras—vivid green and pink Northern Lights—were reported across large parts of the United States as far south as Texas, Florida and Alabama.
About the EscaPADE Mission
EscaPADE—short for Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers—consists of two spacecraft nicknamed Blue and Gold. After an approximately 22-month cruise to Mars, the pair will operate together in Martian orbit to study how streams of charged solar particles interact with Mars' relatively weak magnetic field and how those interactions have driven atmospheric loss over billions of years.
The launch was to take place from the U.S. Space Force Station at Cape Canaveral, Florida. NASA and Blue Origin said they will wait for the SWPC to downgrade the space weather threat before setting a new launch date.
Reporting by Steve Gorman in Los Angeles; editing by Tom Hogue.