Pandora / Twilight rideshare mission
Pandora / Twilight rideshare mission launched on Falcon 9 Block 5 (SpaceX) from Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA, Sun, 11 Jan 2026, 13:44 UTC. Result: Launch Successful.
The Pandora small satellite was selected in 2021 as an inaugural mission in NASA’s Astrophysics Pioneers Program. It includes a 0.45-meter telescope that will improve our understanding of exoplanet atmospheres by disentangling exoplanet signals from their host stars, as well as studying host star variability with long-duration observations of 20 unique planets through visible-light photometry and near-infrared spectroscopy. Also launching on this launch are 39 other ride-share payloads under the "Falcon 9 Twilight mission" manifested by Exolaunch, including satellites from Spire Global and Kepler Communications.
- Rocket
- Falcon 9 Block 5
- Provider
- SpaceX
- Launch site
- Space Launch Complex 4E, Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA
- Destination
- Sun-Synchronous Orbit
- Status
- Launch Successful
- Mission type
- Astrophysics