“First light” for NASA’s ESCAPADE mission! 🚀 📸

These images, taken on Nov. 21, 2025, are ESCAPADE’s “first light,” or first images taken from space. Just about a week after launch, one of the two Mars-bound spacecraft took these images as part of the commissioning process, which checks that all the spacecraft’s instruments are functioning as expected.

The images, captured by the spacecraft's onboard VISIONS cameras, were taken about 550,062 miles (885,240 kilometers) from Earth. The view looks along the spacecraft's solar panel and out into space.

The left-side image shows the view from the visible-light sensor, while the right-side image was taken with the infrared sensor, showing which parts of the array are warmer and cooler. At Mars, the visible-light camera will attempt to capture Mars’ auroras, whereas the infrared sensor will capture the changing temperatures on the Martian surface as the Sun rises and sets.

Learn more: go.nasa.gov/4oeAlSc