NASA has chosen SpaceX to provide the launch service for its upcoming Pandora mission, a groundbreaking project aimed at studying the atmospheres of at least 20 known exoplanets. The mission, scheduled to launch no earlier than this fall, will be carried out using SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket from the Starbase launch facility in Cameron County, Texas.

The Pandora mission is designed to enhance our understanding of how changes in host stars affect our observations of exoplanet atmospheres. The satellite will observe each of the 20 exoplanets at least 10 times, with each observation lasting 24 hours. This will allow scientists to separate the signals from the stars and the planets, providing cleaner data for analysis.

Pandora will be equipped with a 17-inch (45-centimeter) all-aluminum telescope that will simultaneously measure the visible and near-infrared brightness of the host star and obtain near-infrared spectra of the transiting planet. This innovative approach will help scientists better understand the composition of exoplanet atmospheres, including the presence of water vapor, methane, and other gases that may indicate habitability.

The mission is a joint effort between NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center and the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California. Funded by NASA’s Astrophysics Pioneers program, Pandora aims to provide valuable data that will complement observations from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and future missions searching for habitable worlds.

Elisa Quintana, Pandora’s principal investigator at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, expressed excitement about the mission’s progress. “This is a huge milestone for us and keeps us on track for a launch in the fall,” she said. “The bus holds our instruments and handles navigation, data acquisition, and communication with Earth — it’s the brains of the spacecraft.”

The presence of water is considered a critical aspect of habitability, and Pandora’s observations will help determine which planets might be explored in future missions. “We see the presence of water as a critical aspect of habitability because water is essential to life as we know it,” said Ben Hord, a NASA post-doctoral program fellow. “Separating these sources is where Pandora will shine.”

NASA’s selection of SpaceX for the Pandora mission is part of the agency’s Venture-Class Acquisition of Dedicated and Rideshare (VADR) launch services contract. This contract allows NASA 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.

The Pandora mission represents a significant step forward in our quest to understand the universe and the potential for life beyond Earth. With its innovative technology and collaborative approach, Pandora is poised to provide valuable insights into the atmospheres of distant exoplanets and the stars they orbit.

©️ The Rocky Mountain Dispatch LLC. 2025