Comments on: SpaceX launches NASA’s Pandora exoplanet space telescope

By: Robert Zimmerman

Robert Zimmerman — Tue, 13 Jan 2026 15:26:03 +0000

In reply to Michael McNeil. Michael McNeil: typo fixed. Thank you.

By: Michael McNeil

Michael McNeil — Tue, 13 Jan 2026 10:18:36 +0000

Typo, 2nd paragraph: “the 20 stars known to have transiting exoplanets”: delete the “the”.

Thousands of stars are known to have transiting exoplanets.

By: Dick Eagleson

Dick Eagleson — Sun, 11 Jan 2026 23:20:20 +0000

Richard M,

Having watched all of the deployments as well as the launch, I noticed a number of Transporter mission stalwarts took this extra opportunity to fly some birds, though Planet, oddly, was not among them.

By: Richard M

Richard M — Sun, 11 Jan 2026 18:01:02 +0000

This is a neat little mission. Pandara is small-sat size, just over 300kg, part of the Astrophysics Pioneer program, which is cost-capped at $20 million (exclusive of launch). Nice to have these initiatives to show you can do worthwhile science on much smaller budgets.

By: wayne

wayne — Sun, 11 Jan 2026 17:39:20 +0000

Haven’t watched a complete launch for a while, but these never get old!
This payload caught my attention.

BlackCAT Spacecraft (Black Hole Coded Aperture Telescope)
https://www.nanosats.eu/sat/blackcat