NASA on Sunday launched a new satellite into low Earth orbit to study the atmospheres of exoplanets and the stars they orbit.
The mission, known as Pandora, lifted off at 5:44 a.m. Pacific Time aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base.
Pandora is designed to observe at least 20 exoplanets and their host stars. The satellite will make long, continuous measurements as the planets pass in front of their stars, collecting visible and near‑infrared light to help scientists separate planetary signals from stellar ones, NASA said.
The observations are expected to reveal whether a planet’s atmosphere contains hazes, clouds or water — or whether signals that appear to show those features actually originate from the star, according to the agency.
