Rocket Lab’s January 7, 2026 ESCAPADE log confirms Gold completed its second trajectory correction on January 6 with a 97.7-second burn. It followed a short December firing and sends Gold past the Sun–Earth L2 region into a loiter trajectory. Earlier 2025 launch and Blue manoeuvres remain background. A November 2026 Mars transfer and September 2027 arrival were then plans, not achieved orbit insertion. The article uses the confirmed burn rather than an older preliminary duration. NASA and UC Berkeley’s twin mission aims to study atmospheric escape; later manoeuvres and science results require separate evidence.
International space
ESCAPADE’s Gold completes its second correction before the Mars transfer
Rocket Lab’s January 7, 2026 ESCAPADE log confirms Gold completed its second trajectory correction on January 6 with a 97.7-second burn. It followed a short December firing and sends Gold past the Sun–Earth L2 region into a loiter trajectory. Earlier 2025 launch and Blue manoeuvres remain background. A November 2026 Mars transfer and September 2027 arrival were then plans, not achieved orbit insertion. The article uses the confirmed burn rather than an older preliminary duration. NASA and UC Berkeley’s twin mission aims to study atmospheric escape; later manoeuvres and science results require separate evidence.
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