{"id":9647,"date":"2026-01-11T01:50:13","date_gmt":"2026-01-10T17:50:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/spacex-deploys-nasas-pandora-other-smallsats-amid-1st-twilight-rideshare-mission\/"},"modified":"2026-01-11T01:50:13","modified_gmt":"2026-01-10T17:50:13","slug":"spacex-deploys-nasas-pandora-other-smallsats-amid-1st-twilight-rideshare-mission","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/spacex-deploys-nasas-pandora-other-smallsats-amid-1st-twilight-rideshare-mission\/","title":{"rendered":"SpaceX deploys NASA\u2019s Pandora, other smallsats amid 1st \u2018Twilight\u2019 rideshare mission"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_72121\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-72121\" style=\"width: 678px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-72121\" src=\"http:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/20260111_Pandora_deployment.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"678\" height=\"315\" srcset=\"https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/20260111_Pandora_deployment.jpg 678w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/20260111_Pandora_deployment-300x139.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 678px) 100vw, 678px\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-72121\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">NASA\u2019s Pandora spacecraft deploys from SpaceX\u2019s Falcon 9 rocket roughly 2.5 hours after the liftoff of the Twilight rideshare mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base on Jan. 11, 2026. Image: SpaceX via livestream<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><em><strong>Update Jan. 11, 11:33 a.m. EST (1633 UTC): SpaceX completed the deployment of all payloads.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>SpaceX debuted a new class of rideshare mission on Sunday with the launch of its first Twilight flight. The mission was described by the company as flying to a \u201cdawn-dusk Sun-synchronous orbit\u201d after departing from Vandenberg Space Force Base.<\/p>\n<p>There were 40 spacecraft jettisoned from the Falcon 9 rocket\u2019s upper stage starting roughly an hour after liftoff and concluding more than 2.5 hours into the mission.<\/p>\n<p>Liftoff from Space Launch Complex 4 East happened at 5:44 a.m. PST (8:44 a.m. EST \/ 1344 UTC). The rocket flew on a southerly trajectory after takeoff.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/JwOksb3l0Lc?si=72UNzzb6OurrJZLi\" width=\"678\" height=\"381\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><span data-mce-type=\"bookmark\" style=\"display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;\" class=\"mce_SELRES_start\">\ufeff<\/span><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>It was the fifth flight for one of SpaceX\u2019s newer Falcon boosters, designated 1097. It previously launched three batches of Starlink V2 Mini Optimized satellites and the Sentinel-6B spacecraft.<\/p>\n<p>Roughly 7.5 minutes after liftoff, B1097 touched down at Landing Zone 4 (LZ-4), adjacent to the launch pad. This was the 32nd landing at this site and the 557th booster landing for SpaceX to date.<\/p>\n<h4>Pandora, BlackCAT, and SPARCS<\/h4>\n<p>The Twilight mission carried a trio of NASA spacecraft, including a spacecraft designed to study exoplanets called Pandora.<\/p>\n<p>This mission is spearheaded by NASA\u2019s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. It uses a 17-inch-wide (45 cm) telescope jointly developed by Corning Incorporated and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory to observe the atmosphere of exoplanets as they pass in front of their respective stars.<\/p>\n<p>Observations will be taken in both visible and infrared light. NASA said Pandora will look at each planet and its start 10 times \u201cwith each observation lasting a total of 24 hours.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Inxe5Bgarj0?si=pArcRCnG7OIpQR_h\" width=\"678\" height=\"381\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><span data-mce-type=\"bookmark\" style=\"display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;\" class=\"mce_SELRES_start\">\ufeff<\/span><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Pandora mission is a bold new chapter in exoplanet exploration,\u201d said Daniel Apai, an astronomy and planetary science professor at the University of Arizona in Tucson where the mission\u2019s operations center resides. \u201cIt is the first space telescope built specifically to study, in detail, starlight filtered through exoplanet atmospheres. Pandora\u2019s data&nbsp;will help scientists interpret observations from past and current missions like NASA\u2019s Kepler and Webb space telescopes. And it will guide future projects in their search for habitable worlds.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The observatory was one of four astrophysics missions tapped for further development under NASA\u2019s new Pioneers program and will study 20 stars and 39 exoplanets over a five-year timeline. The Pandora mission has a budget cap of $20 million, according to a statement from NASA in 2021.<\/p>\n<p>The two other NASA-backed payloads, BlackCAT (Black Hole Coded Aperture Telescope) and SPARCS (Star-Planet Activity Research CubeSat) come from the agency\u2019s CubeSat Launch Initiative. Each CubeSat measures 11.8 by 7.8 by 3.9 inches (30 by 20 by 10 cm).<\/p>\n<p><iframe id=\"twitter-widget-0\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" allowtransparency=\"true\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" class=\"\" style=\"position: static; visibility: visible; width: 0px; height: 0px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;\" title=\"X Post\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/embed\/Tweet.html?dnt=false&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-0&amp;features=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%3D%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=2009709920828916171&amp;lang=en&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fspaceflightnow.com%2F2026%2F01%2F10%2Flive-coverage-spacex-to-launch-1st-twilight-rideshare-mission%2F&amp;sessionId=0d39e2c303cccfe377917d3fdc29d73a5f827efd&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=6a3ad42b224df%3A1778106238597&amp;width=550px\" data-tweet-id=\"2009709920828916171\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-twitter-extracted-i1782461500692293697=\"true\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">BlackCAT is set to launch!<\/p>\n<p>This @NASA-funded mission led by @PSUScience, with contributions from @LosAlamosNatLab, will launch at 13:19 UTC this Sunday to hunt for some of the brightest, furthest, and oldest explosions in our Universe:<\/p>\n<p>BlackCAT (the Black Hole Coded Aperture\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/2XZvhDi6CJ<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Kongsberg NanoAvionics (@NanoAvionics) January 9, 2026<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>BlackCAT is funded through NASA\u2019s Astrophysics Research and Analysis Program to the tune of $5.8 million for its five-year mission. It is a wide-field x-ray telescope built and managed by Pennsylvania State University with support from Los Alamos National Laboratory and built on a satellite bus from Kongsberg NanoAvionics US.<\/p>\n<p>Per a September 2021 press release from Penn State, BlackCAT was expected to launch in March 2024. The telescope will be used \u201cto study powerful cosmic explosions like gamma-ray bursts, particularly those from the early universe, and other fleeting cosmic events,\u201d NASA said.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_72113\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-72113\" style=\"width: 678px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-72113\" src=\"http:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/20260110_SPARCS_CubeSat.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"678\" height=\"381\" srcset=\"https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/20260110_SPARCS_CubeSat.jpg 678w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/20260110_SPARCS_CubeSat-300x169.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 678px) 100vw, 678px\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-72113\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Arizona State University Professor Evgenya Shkolnik, principal investigator for the Star Planet Activity Research CubeSat mission, inspects the space instrument as it\u2019s being built in a clean room. Image: Arizona State University<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Meanwhile SPARCS is designed to study solar flares and sunspots of stars with low mass in the far- and near-ultraviolet. The data gathered from these observations will help determine the likelihood that these starts can support life in nearby exoplanets.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe will be sensitive for the first time to the rarest and the strongest of these stellar flares,\u201d says&nbsp;ASU&nbsp;Professor Evgenya Shkolnik, the mission\u2019s principal investigator. \u201cAnd once we understand how strong flares can get, which we really don\u2019t know, we will finally understand how much energy is hitting a potentially habitable planet. Then we can use those data to calculate what that impact really is.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In a January 2020 Astrophysics presentation, NASA shows SPARCS as intending to launch in Fall 2021.<\/p>\n<h4>What else is onboard?<\/h4>\n<p>A little more than half of the 40 deployments were managed by Exolaunch, which has a presence in both Germany and the United States. The first deployment of the Twilight mission was the first of four Connecta Internet of Things CubeSats from T\u00fcrkiye-based Plan-S Satellite and Space Technologies.<\/p>\n<p>This brings Plan-S up to a total of 16 IOT satellites in low Earth orbit, assuming a successful deployment and commissioning.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Twilight mission builds directly on a record-breaking year for Exolaunch,\u201d said Jeanne Allarie, Chief Investor Relations Officer at Exolaunch, in a statement. \u201cIn 2025 alone, we completed 11 launches and deployed 196 satellites, the highest annual launch cadence in our history, bringing our total to 653 satellites flown across 41 missions.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis level of execution positions Exolaunch as the launch integrator of choice for satellite deployment at global scale. We are grateful to SpaceX for the outstanding collaboration and for enabling the most reliable access to space.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><iframe id=\"twitter-widget-1\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" allowtransparency=\"true\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" class=\"\" style=\"position: static; visibility: visible; width: 0px; height: 0px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;\" title=\"X Post\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/embed\/Tweet.html?dnt=false&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-1&amp;features=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%3D%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=2009630751684260329&amp;lang=en&amp;maxWidth=560px&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fspaceflightnow.com%2F2026%2F01%2F10%2Flive-coverage-spacex-to-launch-1st-twilight-rideshare-mission%2F&amp;sessionId=0d39e2c303cccfe377917d3fdc29d73a5f827efd&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=6a3ad42b224df%3A1778106238597&amp;width=550px\" data-tweet-id=\"2009630751684260329\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-media-max-width=\"560\" data-twitter-extracted-i1782461500692293697=\"true\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Twilight is when the day doesn\u2019t end, it simply shifts gears. <img decoding=\"async\" draggable=\"false\" role=\"img\" class=\"emoji\" alt=\"\ud83d\ude80\" src=\"https:\/\/s.w.org\/images\/core\/emoji\/17.0.2\/svg\/1f680.svg\"> That\u2019s exactly what\u2019s coming next: four new Connecta IoT Network satellites, designed, manufactured and engineered by Plan-S, and integrated via launch partner @Exolaunch are set to lift off on @SpaceX Falcon 9\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/jyJK8ElmIE<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Plan-S (@WeArePlanS) January 9, 2026<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Another notable payload manifested under Exolaunch\u2019s purview is the Araqys-D1\/Dcubed-1 satellite from Germany-based Dcubed. The CubeSat aims to manufacture a 60-cm boom in space.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf successful, it will mark a global first: the manufacturing of a structure directly in the vacuum of space,\u201d Dcubed said on social media. \u201cAchieving this breakthrough\u2014known as In-Space Manufacturing (ISM)\u2014opens the door to a radically new future: one where large solar arrays, antennas, and entire space infrastructures aren\u2019t launched from Earth\u2026 they are made in space.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The CubeSat is backed by the European Innovation Council (EIC).<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_72114\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-72114\" style=\"width: 678px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-72114\" src=\"http:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/20260110_Kepler_satellites_cleanroom.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"678\" height=\"585\" srcset=\"https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/20260110_Kepler_satellites_cleanroom.jpg 678w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/20260110_Kepler_satellites_cleanroom-300x259.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 678px) 100vw, 678px\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-72114\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">et for Jan. 2026, the mission will deploy Kepler\u2019s optical data relay ring with SDA-compatible communications, hosted payloads, and on-orbit compute for real-time connectivity across space. Image: Kepler Communications<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Canada-based Kepler Communications is also set to deploy ten of its 300-kilogram-class communications satellites called Aether. The company said the satellites, which feature four optical terminals for \u201chigh-throughput, low-latency laser links,\u201d are designed to be compatible with the U.S. Space Development Agency\u2019s (SDA) communications standards.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOptical data relay is redefining how space systems communicate, operate, and deliver value,\u201d said Mina Mitry, chief executive officer and co-founder of Kepler Communications. \u201cIt removes the high latency and bottlenecks of traditional RF links and allows our customers to move data continuously, securely, and at the speed of light.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWith real-time connectivity and advanced computing in orbit, operators can unlock new possibilities for defence and intelligence, real-time situational awareness, commercial innovation, and sustained human operations in space. Together, these advancements are creating the foundation for a truly connected space economy.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>NASA\u2019s Pandora spacecraft deploys from SpaceX\u2019s Falcon 9 rocket roughly 2.5 hours after the liftoff of the Twilight rideshare mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base on Jan. 11, 2026. Image: SpaceX via livestream Update Jan. 11, 11:33 a.m. EST (1633 UTC): SpaceX completed the deployment of all payloads. SpaceX debuted a new class of rideshare [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[715,479,847,682,683,316,862,778],"class_list":["post-9647","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","tag-b1097","tag-falcon-9","tag-lz-4","tag-slc-4e","tag-sld-30","tag-spacex","tag-twilight","tag-vandenberg-space-force-base"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9647"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9647"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9647\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9647"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9647"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9647"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}