Timeline Stories

Our partners at Rocket Lab USA are working hard to integrate the propulsion systems we need to be captured by Mars’s gravity and synchronize our orbits!

We built up a full copy of the spacecraft to make sure our design can survive the punishing environment of launch into space!

With the two spacecraft (mostly) assembled, it’s time to carefully review the configuration of the system & ensure that all unit-level, subsystem, and system testing has been completed.  Here is where we make sure everything is ready to put the spacecraft through their environmental tests, i.e. the conditions they will Read more

Fully tested and delivered, time to mount the instruments on the Blue & Gold Spacecraft and put them through their paces!!

It’s Instrument Suite I&T! Instrument teams are hard at work assembling, testing, disassembling, cleaning, retesting.  Here’s EESA-e instrument lead Phyllis Whittlesey hard at work.

After some challenges over the summer following changing the separation and propulsion systems, the team at UCB and RL completed a successful CDR. From the Independent Review Board: The Escapade independent Mission CDR demonstrated stunning progress since the Spacecraft CDR in June.  All the actions from SCDR were addressed.   The Read more