SpaceX Falcon 9 deploys NASA's Pandora mission to study distant exoplanets

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carried 40 spacecraft into orbit on 11 January, including three NASA astrophysics missions. The launch was part of SpaceX's rideshare programme, deploying payloads for commercial firms and scientific research. Among the missions was Pandora, a key project in NASA's Astrophysics Pioneers programme.

The Falcon 9 lifted off as part of SpaceX's 'Twilight' mission, placing satellites into dusk-dawn sun-synchronous orbits. Most of the payloads belonged to commercial companies, such as Kepler Communications, Spire, and Iceye. Alongside these, NASA's three astrophysics missions—including two cubesats, SPARCS and BlackCAT—were successfully deployed.

Pandora, the third mission under the Pioneers programme, carries a 45-centimetre telescope designed to study exoplanet atmospheres. Selected in 2021, it follows PUEO, a balloon mission launched in December 2022. NASA has so far chosen six Pioneers missions, with TIGERISS and Landolt among the latest additions.

The agency plans to select more Pioneers missions this year, potentially funding up to two at a time. These smaller, cost-effective projects aim to advance astrophysics research without the scale of larger missions.

The launch marks a milestone for NASA's Pioneers programme, with Pandora now in orbit to analyse distant exoplanets. The mission joins a growing list of low-cost, high-impact astrophysics projects. Further selections are expected in 2024, expanding the programme's reach.