NASA has selected SpaceX of Starbase, Texas, to provide the launch service for the agency’s Pandora mission, which will study at least 20 known exoplanets and their host stars to find out how changes in stars affect our observations of exoplanet atmospheres.The selection is part of NASA’s Venture-Class Acquisition of Dedicated and Rideshare (VADR) launch services contract. This contract allows the agency to make fixed-price indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity awards during VADR’s five-year ordering period, with a maximum total value of $300 million across all contracts.During its one-year primary mission, Pandora will observe each exoplanet 10 times, observing for 24 hours each visit. It will capture critical data about the planet and its host star during transits, an event where a planet crosses in front of the star it orbits.The satellite will use an innovative 17-inch (45-centimeter)-wide all-aluminum telescope to simultaneously measure the visible and near-infrared brightness of the host star and obtain near-infrared spectra of the transiting planet. This will allow scientists to cleanly separate star and planetary signals, knowledge that will enhance observations from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope and future missions searching for habitable worlds, like the agency’s Habitable Worlds Observatory.Pandora is a joint effort between NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California. The Astrophysics Pioneers program, from the Astrophysics Division at NASA Headquarters in Washington, funds Pandora and other astrophysics science missions using smaller, lower cost hardware and payloads. NASA’s Launch Services Program, based at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, manages the VADR contract.
Pandora is a small satellite, weighing in at 325 kilograms (or 716 pounds), with an optical telescope measuring 45 centimeters (17.7 inches) in aperture — the diameter of the telescope’s mirror.
Pandora’s spacecraft bus was photographed Jan. 10 within a thermal-vacuum testing chamber at Blue Canyon Technologies in Lafayette, Colorado. The bus provides the structure, power, and other systems that will enable the mission to help astronomers better separate stellar features from the spectra of transiting planets.
Pandora successfully conducted its Critical Design Review (CDR) in October, 2023. The team has since begun production and testing of flight hardware. Environmental testing of the flight spacecraft will begin in February, 2025. The NASA Launch Services Program is currently in the process of obtaining for Pandora a sun-synchronous LEO orbit opportunity for the fall of 2025.
Pandora will be launched into a Sun-synchronous, low-Earth orbit with an altitude of approximately 600 km and a longitude of ascending node of approximately 6am or 6pm. This enables access to the whole sky over the year of science operations. Following a one month checkout and commissioning period, there will be a one-year prime mission during which the science objectives need to be met. An extended mission phase is possible following the prime mission.
Sun-Synchronous, LEO OrbitAltitude Range: 500 to 600kmInclination: 97.0° to 97.8°Flight Readiness Review/Pre-Ship Review: 15 July 2025Operations Readiness Review: 8 Aug 2025Initial Launch Capability: 1 Sept 2025
Pandora is on track for launch readiness in Fall 2025. Following launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and a monthlong commissioning period, Pandora will have a prime mission of one year.
Bringing Pandora to lifeLike Corning’s contributions to Pandora, nearly every space optics project at the company’s facility in Keene begins in the precision machining shop, where aluminum and other metals are ground, shaped, and polished. Corning is a global leader in diamond turning, a cutting process that uses an ultra-sharp natural diamond to produce mirror-quality surfaces. The process can fabricate a variety of shapes, slits, and gratings at microscopic levels – oftentimes smaller than a human hair. The result: more precise optical systems with greater sensitivity for Corning customers, helping them see detailed images of faraway phenomena in space, like the atmospheres of planets outside the Solar System.After precision machining, Corning uses a proprietary thin-film-coating process to maximize the reflection of the optic, which helps the sensor system capture light to see as far as possible. While the human eye can only see light waves from wavelengths between 450-700 nanometers, a very narrow slice of the electromagnetic spectrum, LLNL’s sensors allow viewers to cover a much larger spectrum, 400 to 2,500 nanometers, often from the near infrared to the ultraviolet within a single system. Finally, Corning’s skilled team organizes the optics into fully integrated electro-optic assemblies, complete with electronics for use in a variety of systems and applications for customers. Preparing for liftoffSpace applications like Pandora present unique challenges. Chief among them is the launch into space – one of the most stressful events a system can undergo. Aluminum, a lightweight material with strong thermal characteristics that can handle rapid shifts in temperature, thrives in such an environment. By using aluminum for optical systems, Corning also helps reduce launch payload, which lowers costs for customers.Additionally, Corning performs advanced and rigorous testing on its optics. This process simulates the stresses that the system will undergo and determines if any piece will move out of alignment, even down to the micron level. Corning uses thermal shock chambers, a shock-vibration facility, humidity chambers, and simulations for deep cryogenic (<-448 °F) settings to help ensure the optical system retains its performance in a wide variety of environmental conditions. After testing, the optical systems are ready for integration with customers’ satellites. Then, the satellite, including Pandora, can head into space, allowing scientists to search for planets that are capable of supporting life in the great beyond
This view of the fully integrated Pandora spacecraft was taken May 19, 2025, following the mission’s successful environmental test campaign at Blue Canyon Technologies in Lafayette, Colorado. The next step is to ready the vehicle for shipping to the launch site. Visible are star trackers (center), multilayer insulation blankets (white), the end of the telescope (top), and the solar panel (right) in its launch configuration.
This seems to be pointing to Transporter 15.
Currently, I also work on the Pandora SmallSat mission, a space-based observatory set to launch in early 2026. Pandora will observe at least 20 exoplanets system to search for water, clouds, and hazes -- all potential signatures of life -- as well as study the activity of their host starts in order to achieve precise atmospheric characterizations by quantifying the stellar spectral variability.
[...] the Pandora SmallSat (which we will launch in January!)
[21:50] Issues with Pandora's manufacturer Blue Canyon over mission operations.
Countdown clock in @stewardobservatory.bsky.social for our NASA Pandora Space Telescope: T-60 days!! Our team is getting ready for the launch of this incredibly exciting mission to explore worlds beyond the Solar System!
Meeting Pandora for the first time! We recently visited our now-completed spacecraft in the cleanroom of Blue Canyon Technologies in #Boulder, Colorado. Next, Pandora will be integrated into a SpaceX Falcon9 for a January 5, 2026 launch from United States Space Force's Vandenberg base in California. It is so exciting that after six years of hard work, Pandora is completed and we are moving ahead with launch! Pandora will use its 0.45m diameter mirror to collect light from transiting exoplanets while also carefully studying their host stars. The telescope was designed to provide the most detailed-yet investigation of how active regions (starspots, faculae, etc.) on exoplanet host stars impacts the transmission spectra of their host planets. Pandora will be able to provide the important extended monitoring and simultaneous visible-infrared observations that its more sensitive big brother #JWST does not have time to do.It has been a real privilege to be part of the this superb team: Colleagues at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Blue Canyon Technologies and University of Arizona (and in many other institutions) have done an exceptional job in designing and building a unique and complex mission – and have done so on a very compressed timeline and on a very lean budget! It was inspiring how the team and partner institutions all pulled together to solve problems and work through challenges. Pandora is an inspiring effort to expand humanity's understanding of exoplanet atmospheres and to advance the frontiers of space sciences! The cleanroom provides a controlled, clean environment for the spacecraft's final integration steps. You will see thin black cables connecting people close to the spacecraft to it. The spacecraft electronics are sensitive to static discharges – by grounding ourselves to the ground points on the spacecraft bus, we could ensure that no sparks fry the tiny electronic brains of Pandora.It was very exciting to see the spacecraft in person – next time we meet, it will be integrated into a rocket and on its way to leave our planet!
Launch: NET January 2026
Daniel Apai Bluesky (LPL Professor) [Nov 6]QuoteCountdown clock in @stewardobservatory.bsky.social for our NASA Pandora Space Telescope: T-60 days!! Our team is getting ready for the launch of this incredibly exciting mission to explore worlds beyond the Solar System!January 5th launch date confirms its not flying with either T-15 or T-16 and there's no other obvious rideshare currently in the Manifest.Daniel Apai Linkedin [Nov 6]QuoteMeeting Pandora for the first time! We recently visited our now-completed spacecraft in the cleanroom of Blue Canyon Technologies in #Boulder, Colorado. Next, Pandora will be integrated into a SpaceX Falcon9 for a January 5, 2026 launch from United States Space Force's Vandenberg base in California. It is so exciting that after six years of hard work, Pandora is completed and we are moving ahead with launch! Pandora will use its 0.45m diameter mirror to collect light from transiting exoplanets while also carefully studying their host stars. The telescope was designed to provide the most detailed-yet investigation of how active regions (starspots, faculae, etc.) on exoplanet host stars impacts the transmission spectra of their host planets. Pandora will be able to provide the important extended monitoring and simultaneous visible-infrared observations that its more sensitive big brother #JWST does not have time to do.It has been a real privilege to be part of the this superb team: Colleagues at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Blue Canyon Technologies and University of Arizona (and in many other institutions) have done an exceptional job in designing and building a unique and complex mission – and have done so on a very compressed timeline and on a very lean budget! It was inspiring how the team and partner institutions all pulled together to solve problems and work through challenges. Pandora is an inspiring effort to expand humanity's understanding of exoplanet atmospheres and to advance the frontiers of space sciences! The cleanroom provides a controlled, clean environment for the spacecraft's final integration steps. You will see thin black cables connecting people close to the spacecraft to it. The spacecraft electronics are sensitive to static discharges – by grounding ourselves to the ground points on the spacecraft bus, we could ensure that no sparks fry the tiny electronic brains of Pandora.It was very exciting to see the spacecraft in person – next time we meet, it will be integrated into a rocket and on its way to leave our planet!
Spire Global, Inc. announced that nine satellites designed and built by Spire's in-house manufacturing teams have shipped to Vandenberg Space Force Base in California ahead of their launch aboard SpaceX’s upcoming Falcon 9 Twilight mission.The mission includes the Company's Hyperspectral Microwave Sounder (HyMS) satellite demonstrator, a compact, space-ready sensor built to advance global weather forecasting from space. Developed in collaboration with the UK Science and Technology Facilities Council’s RAL Space and STAR-Dundee Ltd., HyMS is designed to capture detailed internal views of the Earth’s atmosphere, measuring important atmospheric variables including temperature, humidity, and precipitation. As a first-of-its-kind hyperspectral microwave mission, it will aim to help forecasters better understand how weather systems form and evolve in real time.“HyMS marks a meaningful step in expanding how we observe Earth’s atmosphere from space,” said Theresa Condor, Chief Executive Officer of Spire Global. “Two of the most impactful sources of data for improving forecast accuracy are radio occultation and microwave observations, areas where Spire is uniquely positioned to lead. This mission is a critical milestone on that path to delivering deeper atmospheric insights from space.”In addition to the HyMS demonstrator, the Falcon 9 Twilight launch will include seven Spire-built satellites for customers and one constellation replenishment satellite supporting the Company’s operational data missions. All the satellites were designed, built, and tested by Spire’s teams in Glasgow, Scotland.
OHMS-Sat (Operational Hyperspectral Microwave Sounder-Satellite): £3.5 million Led by Spire Global in partnership with STAR-Dundee, the Met Office and STFC RAL Space. This project will build on the prior developments of the Hyperspectral Microwave Sounder (HYMS) to accelerate it towards an operational mission to supply weather forecasting data to global numerical weather prediction (NWP) centres and create unique weather products.
Mass: 20 kgOrbit: SSOAltitude: 550 km
The observatory needs to be in an orbit that allows for long-baseline observations of single targets, facilitates relatively high data rates, provides a reasonably stable thermal and power environment, and ideally has many opportunities for ride-shares. This leads to Sun-synchronous low Earth orbit with a crossing time of approximately 6am/6pm (Figure 3). In this orbit, the whole sky is accessible during the 12 months of science operations, and most regions of the sky are accessible for over 100 days per year.
Kepler Communications today announced it will launch ten 300-kilogram-class satellites for its optical data relay network aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 from Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, in Jan. 2026. The launch marks the beginning of Kepler’s next-generation operational constellation, designed to provide real-time connectivity, advanced on-orbit compute, and hosted payload services for government and commercial customers. Each satellite in the network is equipped with a minimum of four optical terminals, enabling high-throughput, low-latency laser links between space, air, and ground assets. The system is designed for compatibility with the U.S. Space Development Agency’s (SDA) optical communications standards, ensuring seamless connectivity across government and commercial space architectures. Operating as an IP-based mesh network, the constellation functions similarly to the terrestrial Internet by dynamically routing data between satellites to provide resilient, real-time connectivity between space and Earth. “Optical data relay is redefining how space systems communicate, operate, and deliver value,” said Mina Mitry, chief executive officer and co-founder of Kepler Communications. “It removes the high latency and bottlenecks of traditional RF links and allows our customers to move data continuously, securely, and at the speed of light. With real-time connectivity and advanced computing in orbit, operators can unlock new possibilities for defence and intelligence, real-time situational awareness, commercial innovation, and sustained human operations in space. Together, these advancements are creating the foundation for a truly connected space economy.” Kepler’s optical data relay network combines high-capacity communications with advanced on-orbit compute, enabling data to be processed and analyzed directly in space rather than waiting for downlink to Earth. Each node in the constellation supports distributed GPU and CPU processing and storage, creating a scalable, edge compute environment that brings cloud capability to orbit. By bringing data processing closer to the source, Kepler delivers faster insights. This integrated design supports real-time Earth observation analytics, autonomous mission operations, and AI-driven decision-making in orbit. The constellation features modular interfaces for hosted payloads, allowing customers to integrate sensors, hardware, or software directly onto Kepler’s platform and leverage the company’s optical infrastructure for real-time data relay and on-orbit processing. This approach provides a faster, more cost-effective path to orbit by eliminating the need for dedicated spacecraft or ground systems. Hosted payload customers gain immediate access to Kepler’s optical relay network and on-orbit compute, enabling real-time data processing, testing, and operations within an established SDA-compatible system.
Spire Global, Inc. announced that its Hyperspectral Microwave Sounder (HyMS) payload has successfully completed environmental testing, calibration, and flight qualification. The sensor has been fully integrated into a Spire 16U satellite and shipped to Vandenberg Space Force Base to launch aboard SpaceX’s upcoming Falcon 9 Twilight mission.The HyMS payload will launch as a technology demonstrator with the goal of demonstrating the impact of a first-of-its-kind hyperspectral microwave sounder in a compact form factor in orbit. HyMS is designed to capture detailed internal views of the Earth’s atmosphere, measuring important atmospheric variables including temperature, humidity, and precipitation.The advanced microwave sounder underwent a comprehensive series of environmental and radiometric tests, including thermal vacuum (TVAC) testing designed to replicate the extreme temperature and vacuum conditions of space. During calibration, engineers evaluated HyMS against multiple reference targets: one simulating the cold of deep space and another set to multiple Earth-like scene temperatures representing conditions such as deserts, oceans, cloud-tops and more. These tests confirmed radiometric performance, validating that the instrument can detect the faint atmospheric microwave signals with exceptional noise performance essential for high-quality temperature and moisture profiling.“HyMS is built to sense faint microwave emissions with fine spectral resolution in Earth’s atmosphere, so accuracy and sensitivity of the radiometers are critical,” said Mohammed Belal, Program Director, Microwave Technologies at Spire. “Our environmental and calibration campaign demonstrated strong radiometric stability and validated the instrument’s performance ahead of launch. We’re excited to see HyMS reach orbit and begin delivering new levels of atmospheric insight for the global forecasting community.”In addition to environmental testing, the Company has developed the ground support equipment, calibration workflows, and a dedicated ground processor to convert raw sensor data into calibrated, geolocated and bias corrected atmospheric products once the satellite is operational. This end-to-end capability positions the HyMS mission to begin collecting and processing demonstration data after launch.HyMS is Spire’s first in-orbit demonstration of hyperspectral microwave sensing, a technology designed to complement the Company’s radio occultation measurements.
Less than 5 years ago we were selected. And today our little spacecraft is in a box and shipping to Vandenberg Space Force Base ready for launch on a Falcon 9 rocket.
Next month, Pandora will become our sixth Saturn-class spacecraft to launch, seeking to study the atmospheres of planets beyond our solar system, especially those with atmospheres dominated by hydrogen or water.
European officials stress space autonomy despite lingering dependenciesNovember 18, 2025[...]Di Clemente confirmed at the conference that the third CSG satellite will launch on a Falcon 9 before the end of the year. He said after the panel that the long hiatus in Vega C launches following a December 2022 failure disrupted the vehicle’s manifest.[...]
Daniel Apai Bluesky (LPL Professor) [Nov 6]QuoteCountdown clock in @stewardobservatory.bsky.social for our NASA Pandora Space Telescope: T-60 days!! Our team is getting ready for the launch of this incredibly exciting mission to explore worlds beyond the Solar System!January 5th launch date confirms its not flying with either T-15 or T-16 and there's no other obvious rideshare currently in the Manifest.
Exolaunch to Deploy 22 Satellites on Upcoming "Twilight" Rideshare Mission with SpaceX, Expanding Access to a Dawn-Dusk OrbitBuilding on its multi-year launch agreements with SpaceX, Exolaunch advances its launch portfolio with a new mission to a specialized sun-synchronous orbit, reinforcing its leadership as a global launch integrator Berlin, Germany — Dec. 17, 2025 — Exolaunch, a global launch integrator and leader in launch mission management, satellite integration, and deployment services, will deploy 22 customer satellites on the upcoming Twilight rideshare mission with SpaceX aboard a Falcon 9 rocket, scheduled for no earlier than January 2026. Exolaunch, which has deployed satellites on every Transporter and Bandwagon mission to date, will now support satellite deployments on this new dawn-dusk mission, providing customers with dedicated access to this unique sun-synchronous orbit requested by a growing number of Earth Observation, climate monitoring, and technology demonstration missions.Twilight reflects Exolaunch's track record of expanding launch mission management expertise, enabling reliable launch access for commercial, institutional, and government customers from Bulgaria, Finland, Germany, Lithuania, Spain, Turkey, and the United States.Exolaunch customers onboard this mission benefit from the company's decade-long expertise in enabling successful launch campaigns and deployments for over 650 satellites to date. The company's comprehensive launch package is designed to effectively navigate complex technical, contractual, logistical and regulatory processes of getting satellites into space. This package includes launch capacity procurement and mission planning, comprehensive launch mission management, environmental testing, satellite integration, end-to-end global shipping and customs clearance, and the deployment of satellites using Exolaunch's flight-proven deployment technologies. As with previous missions, Exolaunch is utilizing its portfolio of flight-proven deployment technologies:* EXOpod Nova deployers for both standard and high-volume, high-mass CubeSats;* CarboNIX separation rings in multiple sizes for precise and shock-free microsatellite deployment into orbit.Designed, manufactured, and tested entirely in Germany, these systems are recognized for their reliability, operational simplicity and performance across demanding launch environments. Integration activities with Exolaunch's deployment systems have been successfully completed at the company's Berlin headquarters and customer facilities worldwide, with the final satellite integration campaign currently underway at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.“The Twilight mission builds directly on a record-breaking year for Exolaunch,” said Jeanne Allarie, Chief Investor Relations Officer at Exolaunch. “In 2025 alone, we completed 11 launches and deployed 196 satellites, the highest annual launch cadence in our history, bringing our total to 653 satellites flown across 41 missions. This level of execution positions Exolaunch as the launch integrator of choice for satellite deployment at global scale. We are grateful to SpaceX for the outstanding collaboration and for enabling the most reliable access to space.”“Over the past year, our manufacturing and integration capabilities have expanded significantly to keep pace with rapidly growing launch demand from our new and existing customers”, said Connor Pollock, Vice President of Launch and Engineering at Exolaunch. “We're investing heavily in new deployment technologies, production facilities, and launch capacity to deliver at the scale and speed the market now expects.”In May 2025, Exolaunch announced new multi-year contracts to continue launching on SpaceX Falcon 9 rideshare missions through 2028 and beyond.
NASA Universe@NASAUniversePandora, our newest exoplanet explorer, is getting ready to go! Launching in early 2026, Pandora will help astronomers study distant worlds, including the compositions of their atmospheres, as well as the stars they orbit. Get up to speed on Pandora: https://go.nasa.gov/45eKKXk
🇩🇪 Go German New Space: Exolaunch is set to deploy @DCUBEDspace's Dcubed-1 / Araqys-D1, the satellite aiming to be the first that manufactures in free space, on the upcoming @SpaceX Twilight mission scheduled for NET January 2026 🚀
Quote🇩🇪 Go German New Space: Exolaunch is set to deploy @DCUBEDspace's Dcubed-1 / Araqys-D1, the satellite aiming to be the first that manufactures in free space, on the upcoming @SpaceX Twilight mission scheduled for NET January 2026 🚀https://x.com/Exolaunch/status/2001590172719222896
Dcubed-1 (internally known as ARAQYS-D1) “BOOM! THERE IT IS”, a 3U satellite that will manufacture a 60 cm ISM boom directly in free space.
“We see a lot of demand for the next few years, flying to such orbits,” Exolaunch Head of Investor Relations Jeanne Allarie told Payload. “When customers realize that there are such missions available, they are likely to have more interest…[and] will tailor their satellites to these specific orbits.”Terminal velocity: For many customers, the benefits of dawn-dusk orbit aren’t just nice to have, they’re non-negotiable.“We’ve had satellites on our manifest for years, sometimes waiting for a dawn-dusk orbit…and it’s difficult to find any sort of rideshare, [so] people will just pony up the money to go dedicated,” Exolaunch VP of Launch and Engineering Connor Pollock told Payload. “Next time, there will be potentially a bigger market.”It’s not just science missions that need to operate over the terminator. The access to 24/7 sunlight will be a huge driver of future demand, especially when payloads with higher power requirements become more common, according to Pollock. “There’s a lot of press being made about data centers in space. They’re likely to be in dawn-dusk because of the constant sunlight,” Pollock said.
Quote from: GewoonLukas_ on 12/18/2025 08:49 amQuote🇩🇪 Go German New Space: Exolaunch is set to deploy @DCUBEDspace's Dcubed-1 / Araqys-D1, the satellite aiming to be the first that manufactures in free space, on the upcoming @SpaceX Twilight mission scheduled for NET January 2026 🚀https://x.com/Exolaunch/status/2001590172719222896T-16
As of September 2025. Then in November 2025, T-16 was scheduled for February and for March.Now - in December - Exlaunch says January 2026. It think this means that Dcubed-1 has been moved to the Twilight launch.
ARAQYS-D3 builds on two precursor missions that are already integrated and ready for launch on two separate SpaceX rideshare missions in Q1 2026
