Twin spacecraft are set to take off on an unprecedented, winding journey to Mars, where they will investigate why the barren red planet began to lose its atmosphere billions of years ago.Called EscaPADE, the mission will aim for an orbital trajectory that has never been attempted before, according to aerospace company Advanced Space, which is supporting the project. If successful, it could be a crucial case study that can allow extraordinary flexibility for planetary science missions down the road.The robotic mission plans to spend a year idling in an orbital backroad before heading to its target destination. The project is part of NASA’s SIMPLEx, or Small, Innovative Missions for Planetary Exploration, program, which aims to spur researchers and companies to devise ways to use small spacecraft to carry out science investigations for pennies on the dollar.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementEscaPADE, short for Escape and Plasma Acceleration Dynamics Explorers and led by the University of California, Berkeley, is among the most ambitious.“We don’t use the word ‘cheap.’ We say, ‘high value,’” joked Jeff Parker, chief technology officer at Colorado-based Advanced Space, which is participating in the project along with California-based Rocket Lab. “We’re providing science that is at the level of missions that cost hundreds of millions of dollars, but with a low budget.”EscaPADE’s cost was less than $100 million, compared with the roughly $300 million to $600 million price tags of other NASA satellites orbiting Mars.The spacecraft are slated to lift off atop Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket — marking the first time the new launch vehicle has flown with valuable cargo on board — as soon as 2:45 p.m. ET Sunday from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe launch attempt could be affected by the government shutdown if it’s delayed after this weekend. Blue Origin said in a statement that it has “been working closely with the FAA (Federal Aviation …
