NASA reports that the mission will conduct detailed observations of 20 confirmed exoplanets, each observed over 10 full transit cycles. Each observation will span 24 hours, allowing measurements of the system before, during, and after the planet passes in front of its star. These long baselines are critical to identifying how much of the observed signal is due to the planet and how much may be introduced by the star itself.<\/p>\n The spacecraft\u2019s optical system includes a 45-centimetre all-aluminium mirror, developed in partnership with Corning Incorporated, and a near-infrared detector originally built as a spare for the James Webb Space Telescope. Mission operations are managed at the University of Arizona, with data processing carried out by NASA\u2019s Ames Research Center in California.<\/p>\n Disentangling Planetary Atmospheres from Stellar Activity<\/p>\n The challenge Pandora seeks to resolve is well established in exoplanetary science. During a transit, light from a star passes through the atmosphere of the orbiting planet<\/a>, where molecules such as methane, carbon dioxide, or oxygen can absorb specific wavelengths, leaving identifiable signatures. However, stars are not uniform. Their surfaces often include bright regions, dark spots, and magnetic disturbances that can emit or absorb light in similar patterns.<\/p>\n This overlapping spectral information introduces significant uncertainty. As explained in NASA\u2019s mission overview on Pandora\u2019s scientific objectives<\/a>, even small features on a star\u2019s surface can suppress or mimic signals from a planet\u2019s atmosphere. Without accounting for these variations, observations risk misinterpreting the presence\u2014or absence\u2014of key atmospheric components.<\/p>\n \u201cPandora\u2019s goal is to disentangle the atmospheric signals of planets and stars using visible and near-infrared light,\u201d said Elisa Quintana, principal investigator at NASA\u2019s Goddard Space Flight Center. The mission\u2019s dual-wavelength capability and extended transit observations are intended to isolate the influence of stellar variability, improving the fidelity of atmospheric data collected from other missions like TESS, Kepler, and Webb.<\/p>\n Complementary CubeSats and Broader Mission Framework<\/p>\n![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/pandora-separation.png?w=829\")
<\/a>NASA\u2019s Pandora space telescope satellite is in sun-synchronous orbit following separation of SpaceX\u2019s second stage on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2025. A SpaceX Falcon 9 carrying Pandora, and several other payloads launched at 5:44 a.m. PST from Space Launch Complex 4 East at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. Credit: SpaceX<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Pandora_ArtistsConcept.jpg\")
<\/a>Artist\u2019s concept of NASA\u2019s Pandora mission, which will help scientists untangle the signals from the atmospheres of exoplanets \u2014 worlds beyond our solar system \u2014 and their stars. Credit: NASA\u2019s Goddard Space Flight Center\/Conceptual Image Lab<\/p>\n