Opening Pandora’s Box to the Secrets of Our Universe 

Pandora, a space telescope satellite from NASA, was launched into orbit and will soon study 20 exoplanets far away from our Solar System. 

Exoplanets, defined as any planet outside our Solar System, and their planetary systems are of special interest to scientists. Planetary systems consist of celestial bodies such as planets, moons, comets, and asteroids, which orbit a host star(s). These systems can be incredibly diverse, some with multiple host stars and unique orbital arrangements. Discovering and collecting information about exoplanets improves our understanding of Earth and may even provide clues about the existence of extraterrestrial life.  

“I search for exoplanets because I think one of the most profound and thought-provoking questions humanity has ever asked is, “Are we alone in the universe?” …we are the first generation who have the tools at our fingertips to begin to answer this question”, says Padi Boyd, project scientist at NASA. “In a way, each new planetary system we discover teaches us a little bit more about how the universe works, and how the Earth, Sun and own planetary system fit into the whole.” 

The atmosphere of a planet is determined by a range of complex and interacting factors that scientists are still coming to understand, for example its mass, distance from host star, and exposure to stellar weather. Giant planets such as Jupiter and Saturn have a stronger gravitational pull, allowing them to pull greater amounts of gas towards their surface and resulting in thicker atmospheres. Planets closer to the sun have more exposure to stellar weather – fast-flowing streams of atomic and sub-atomic particles emitted by stars – which may ‘blow’ atmospheric gases away from smaller planets, leading to thinner atmospheres. Hence, large planets, further away from their host star are the best at retaining thick atmospheres. 

So why is this important? The atmosphere of a planet is crucial for life to develop and survive, which is what makes Earth’s atmosphere so unique. Our atmosphere is very stable, consisting of 78% Nitrogen and 21% Oxygen, with 1% Argon, and 3% of trace elements such as carbon dioxide, methane, neon, helium, and water vapour. Acting as a protective buffer from space, our atmosphere provides the right conditions to sustain life on Earth. It protects us from solar radiation, creates pressure that allows liquid water, and maintains constant, habitable temperatures.  

On the 11^th of January 2026, NASA launched Pandora into low Earth orbit from the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. Following successful signal acquisition from Pandora to mission controllers on the 13^th of January, the satellite will spend a month-long orbit around Earth in a procedural commissioning phase. This will allow NASA to ensure that the satellite is stable and operational in space before embarking on its mission to study exoplanets. 

Pandora will then spend the next year collecting detailed information about the atmospheres of 20 transiting exoplanets, which pass in front of their host stars. By identifying clouds and haze (tiny solid particles in the air such as smoke or dust), Pandora aims to identify any planets with hydrogen- or water- dominated atmospheres. It will achieve this by measuring the fraction of starlight that passes through each planet’s atmosphere using an all-aluminium Cassegrain telescope. 

NASA scientists hope that the information collected by Pandora will allow them to identify exoplanets with atmospheres that have the potential to sustain life. These planets are likely to become the focus of further study and exploration in the future.  

By Marina Milsum, 13 February 2026.

Edited by Kazuma Oura and Gabby Ziobro.