SpaceX Falcon 9 launches NASA’s Pandora planet‑observing satellite from Vandenberg

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying NASA’s Pandora small satellite lifted off at 5:44 a.m. PST on Sunday, Jan. 11, from Space Launch Complex 4 East at Vandenberg Space Force Base on California’s central coast.

The vehicle also carried dozens of satellites, including two NASA‑sponsored CubeSats: SPARCS (Star‑Planet Activity Research CubeSat) and BlackCAT (Black Hole Coded Aperture Telescope) CubeSat.

Pandora will provide an in‑depth study of at least 20 known planets orbiting distant stars to determine the composition of their atmospheres, with a focus on detecting hazes, clouds and water.

Key Topics

Science, Pandora, Vandenberg, Nasa, Sparcs, Blackcat