LowEarth
Mission record

Falcon 9 Block 5 | Pandora / Twilight rideshare mission

Falcon 9· Space Launch Complex 4E· Success
Trajectory & orbital insertion · playback
Orbits are real (live SGP4) — press play to sweep the deployed group forward along their planes. Ascent path is a representation; true ascent telemetry isn’t public.
Provider
SpaceX
Provider type
Commercial
Orbit
SSO
Mission type
Astrophysics
Launch site
United States of America
Date
Sun, 11 Jan 2026 13:44:50 GMT
Orbital launch #
#7177 ever

Mission

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.

Deployed payloads · 40
▶ Watch the launch
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