Pandora telescope will study stars to clarify signals from exoplanets.

Launched on Jan. 11, 2026, NASA's Pandora is now in orbit and will record visible and infrared observations of host stars to help separate stellar activity from exoplanet signals.

NASA's Pandora telescope launched on Jan. 11, 2026 and is now in low Earth orbit. The mission was built to study host stars in visible and infrared light. Pandora is designed to record how starspots and other active regions change over time. That information is intended to improve measurements of exoplanet atmospheres during transit observations. What is known: - Pandora launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9 and now circles Earth about every 90 minutes. - The telescope carries visible and infrared cameras and can stare at a star for extended periods, including around 24 hours per visit. - The mission will revisit target stars roughly 10 times over a year and spend more than 200 hours observing each target. - Pandora's measurements are intended to quantify stellar activity (such as starspots and bright active regions) and the presence of gases in stellar atmospheres that can confuse planetary signals. - Blue Canyon Technologies is conducting systems and function tests, and control of the spacecraft will transfer to the University of Arizona's Multi‑Mission Operation Center about a week after launch. Summary: Pandora's focused monitoring of host stars is intended to help distinguish stellar variability from signals that originate in exoplanet atmospheres. The spacecraft is undergoing post-launch testing now and will move to University of Arizona operations in roughly a week. After that, science teams will begin coordinated observations with Pandora and other telescopes, including James Webb. The specific outcomes and timing of those coordinated results are undetermined at this time.