Pandora Mission

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Pandora is a small satellite, one of three orbital missions approved by NASA to pass to the next development phase in NASA's Astrophysics Pioneers program. [1] [2] [3] The budget for each mission was $20 million. [4]

The mission is intended to determine atmospheric compositions by observing exoplanets and their host stars at the same time in both visible and infrared light over long periods of time. [1] [5]

The satellite will have sensitivity to identify exoplanets with hydrogen or water present in their atmospheres, as well as what exoplanets are covered by clouds or hazes. [6] Pandora will observe 20 stars and their 39 exoplanets with sizes that range from Earth-size to Jupiter-size, and host stars ranging from mid-K to late-M spectral types. [7] [8]

Construction and launch

The spacecraft bus completed construction in January 2025. The spacecraft is due to launch in September 2025 on a SpaceX Falcon 9, [9] possibly on a Transporter rideshare mission. [10] [11] [12]

Notes and references

  1. 1 2 Center, NASA's Goddard Space Flight. "Pandora mission would expand NASA's capabilities in probing alien worlds". phys.org. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  2. ↑ "Astrophysics Pioneers | Science Mission Directorate". science.nasa.gov. Retrieved 17 November 2022.
  3. ↑ "Probing Alien Worlds: NASA's Pandora Mission Builds on UArizona Research". University of Arizona News. 24 March 2021. Retrieved 17 November 2022.
  4. ↑ Tomaswick, Andy (26 January 2021). "NASA has Chosen 4 new Pioneer Missions: Aspera, Pandora, StarBurst, and PEUO". Universe Today. Retrieved 20 December 2022.
  5. ↑ "Pandora mission to study stars and exoplanets continues toward flight". llnl.gov. Retrieved 17 November 2022.
  6. ↑ Gilbert, E.; Quintana, E.; Dotson, J.; Colon, K.; Pandora Team (1 June 2021). The Pandora SmallSat Mission. American Astronomical Society meeting #238. Vol. 53. p. 309.03. Bibcode:2021AAS...23830903G.
  7. ↑ "The Pandora SmallSat - Multiwavelength Characterization of Exoplanets and their Host Stars - Astrobiology". astrobiology.com. 17 August 2021. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  8. ↑ Talbert, Tricia (6 January 2021). "NASA Selects 4 Concepts for Small Missions to Study Universe's Secrets". NASA. Retrieved 6 December 2022.
  9. ↑ @SpaceX (February 10, 2025). "Falcon 9 to launch the Pandora small satellite to study 20 exoplanets and their host stars" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  10. ↑ NASA's Pandora mission one step closer to probing alien atmospheres
  11. ↑ Doyle, Tiernan. "NASA Awards Launch Service Task Order for Pandora Mission". NASA. Retrieved 11 February 2025.
  12. ↑ Foust, Jeff (11 February 2025). "NASA selects SpaceX to launch astrophysics smallsat mission". SpaceNews. Retrieved 11 February 2025.
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