Bishops University

Published purpose

NASA's Pandora mission is a pioneering astrophysics project designed to study the atmospheres of at least 20 exoplanets and their host stars. Selected as part of NASA's inaugural call for Pioneer mission concepts, Pandora is a small satellite mission slated to launch in early 2026. The mission's primary objective is to disentangle the atmospheric signals of distant planets from the light of their parent stars. To achieve this, Pandora will conduct long-duration observations, using a 0.45-meter telescope to simultaneously capture visible and near-infrared light from star systems as planets transit. This multiwavelength approach will allow scientists to better understand stellar activity and its impact on exoplanet atmosphere measurements, identifying elements like hydrogen and water or the presence of clouds. The data gathered by Pandora will complement observations from the James Webb Space Telescope, enhancing the search for habitable worlds.