Rocket Lab Wins Contract to Design NASA Spacecraft for Unmanned Mars Mission - Statement Tue 15th June 2021 | 11:10 PM WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 15th June, 2021) NASA has ordered the design of two new unmanned spacecraft for a Mars orbital surveillance mission, the California-based company Rocket Lab announced on Tuesday. "Rocket Lab, a global leader in dedicated launch and space systems, has been awarded a contract to design two Photon spacecraft for a scientific mission to Mars," the company said in a press release. The Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers (ESCAPADE) project is a twin-spacecraft science mission that will orbit two spacecraft around Mars to understand the structure, composition, variability and dynamics of the planet's hybrid magnetosphere, the release said.