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NASA Launches Three Satellite Missions

Is space exploration essential for humanity, or a waste of valuable resources?

Published JAN 12

Story

Above: SpaceX's Twilight mission achieves liftoff in Cape Canaveral, Florida, on Jan. 12. Image credit: Plan-S/Anadolu/Getty Images

The Facts

NASA launched three new satellite missions on Sunday — Pandora, SPARCS and BlackCAT — aboard a Falcon 9 rocket from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, as part of a SpaceX rideshare mission carrying 40 payloads.
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NASA on X
Pandora is a small satellite designed to study exoplanet atmospheres by observing transit events, where a planet passes between an observer and a star, causing a dip in starlight that can reveal the composition of an atmosphere. The satellite will also analyze the stars themselves by collecting data on visible light and infrared wavelengths.
NASA Science
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Using a 17-inch-wide telescope, Pandora will study at least 20 planets and their host stars 10 separate times, with each observation lasting 24 hours. The satellite is the first to launch as part of NASA's Astrophysics Pioneers program.
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SPARCS, meanwhile, is one of two NASA-sponsored CubeSats on the SpaceX flight. Led by Arizona State University and supported by Maverick Space Systems, the satellite — roughly the size of a cardboard box — will study coronal mass ejections on small stars using thermal infrared cameras.
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SPARCS
The other CubeSat, BlackCAT, is an X-ray telescope built by Pennsylvania State University that will observe X-ray flares from active galaxies with supermassive black holes, as well as gamma-ray bursts and bright bursts from the early universe.
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Pennsylvania State University
The Falcon 9's first stage landed safely back at Vandenberg Space Force Base approximately 7.5 minutes after liftoff, with the mission being the fifth for that particular booster, which previously launched Sentinel-6B and three Starlink missions.
SpaceX

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The Spin

Techno-optimist narrative

NASA's latest satellite missions will build on the discoveries of the past to advance humanity's understanding of the universe beyond our solar system. These efforts will provide mankind with essential data necessary for future space exploration, a goal vital for advancing technological progress and ensuring the long-term survival of our species.

Donald Trump

Cynical narrative

Space exploration is a waste. Instead of being used to address crises such as homelessness or access to clean water, space agencies spend billions on discovering distant black holes and planets, which offer no benefit to those struggling with real challenges on Earth. The U.S. should reassess its priorities and put human needs before its own curiosity.

The Perennial