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The twin ESCAPADE Mars probes just took flight — but they won't reach their destination until late 2027.
The ESCAPADE probes will hang out at L2 (the sun-Earth Lagrange Point)* for 12 months, studying space weather in the region before looping back toward our planet in November 2026 for a speed-boosting "gravity assist" that will send them toward Mars.
* A gravitationally stable spot about 930,000 miles (1.5 million kilometers) from our planet.
