WASHINGTON, 11th November, 2026 (WAM) -- NASA’s two ESCAPADE (Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers) spacecraft have each successfully completed a powered Earth flyby, using Earth’s gravity in combination with a sustained engine burn to slingshot themselves toward Mars. With these successful maneuvers complete, the twin spacecraft are on target to reach the Red Planet in September 2027.
“This is the first time NASA has used a powered Earth flyby to propel a spacecraft toward Mars, and we’ve now executed this maneuver twice, flawlessly, in just two days,” said Asal Naseri, acting associate flight director for the Heliophysics Division at NASA Headquarters in Washington.
NASA said when they reach Mars, two days apart, each spacecraft will fire its engine for about 11 minutes to slow down and enter orbit around the planet. The spacecraft then will take several months to maneuver into their first science formation, where they will follow one another in the same orbit to study how the planet’s environment changes with time and location. Science operations are expected to begin in June 2028.