NASA's Pandora Launched on SpaceX Rideshare Mission

A SpaceX booster returns for landing following the launch of NASA’s Pandora small satellite, the Star-Planet Activity Research CubeSat (SPARCS), and Black Hole Coded Aperture Telescope (BlackCAT) CubeSat from Space Launch Complex 4 East at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, as part of the company’s Twilight mission. Pandora will provide an in-depth study of at least 20 known planets orbiting distant stars to determine the composition of their atmospheres — especially the presence of hazes, clouds, and water.

Location: SLC-4E, VSFB