Falcon 9 Block 5 | Pandora / Twilight rideshare mission
Launch Successful
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Launch Window
Jan. 11, 2026, 1:19 p.m. - Jan. 11, 2026, 2:16 p.m.
Jan. 11, 2026, 1:19 p.m. - Jan. 11, 2026, 2:16 p.m.
Watch live coverage as SpaceX launches a Falcon 9 rocket from California carrying a multitude of payloads to a dusk-dawn sun-synchronous orbit. Liftoff of the Twilight rideshare mission from Space Launch Complex 4E (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base is scheduled for 5:44 a.m. PST (8:44 a.m. EST / 1344 …
The Pandora small satellite was selected in 2021 as an inaugural mission in NASA’s Astrophysics Pioneers Program. It includes a 0.45-meter telescope that will improve our understanding of exoplanet atmospheres by disentangling exoplanet signals from their host stars, as well as studying host star variability with long-duration observations of 20 unique planets through visible-light photometry and near-infrared spectroscopy. Also launching on this launch are 39 other ride-share payloads under the "Falcon 9 Twilight mission" manifested by Exolaunch, including satellites from Spire Global and Kepler Communications.
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All payloads deployed, launch successful.
Liftoff
Unofficial Re-stream by SPACE AFFAIRS has started
Tweaked T-0.
Now targeting Jan 11 at 13:44 UTC
Falcon 9 is a two-stage rocket designed and manufactured by SpaceX for the reliable and safe transport of satellites and the Dragon spacecraft into orbit. The Block 5 variant is the fifth major interval aimed at improving upon the ability for rapid reusability.
See DetailsThe Falcon 9 first stage B1097 has landed on Landing Zone 4 after its 5th flight.
Result: Successful Return to Launch Site landing at Landing Zone 4.Space Exploration Technologies Corp., known as SpaceX, is an American aerospace manufacturer and space transport services company headquartered in Hawthorne, California. It was founded in 2002 by entrepreneur Elon Musk with the goal of reducing space transportation costs and enabling the colonization of Mars. SpaceX operates from many pads, on the East Coast of the US they operate from SLC-40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and historic LC-39A at Kennedy Space Center. They also operate from SLC-4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, usually for polar launches. Another launch site is being developed at Boca Chica, Texas.
INFO WIKI
Description This pair of images shows stars observed by the SPARCS (Star-Planet Activity Research CubeSat) space telescope simultaneously in the near-ultraviolet, left, and far-ultraviolet, right. These observations were recorded on Feb. 6…
With the first images from the spacecraft now in hand, the team behind NASA’s Star-Planet Activity Research CubeSat, or SPARCS, is ready to begin charting the energetic lives of the galaxy’s most common stars to help answer one of humanity…
SIMSBURY, Conn., January 26, 2026 – Ensign-Bickford Aerospace and Defense Company (EBAD) announced the successful flight and actuation of its Payload Release Module, PRM9103, during SpaceX’s Falcon 9 Twilight rideshare […] The post EBAD P…
"We are fundamentally shifting our approach to securing our munitions supply chain."
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jan 13, 2026 Spire Global Inc has successfully launched nine satellites on SpaceXs Twilight mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base, further expanding its space based sensing and Internet of Things service portfo…
A batch of 25 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.
Synthetic aperture radar satellite for Japanese Earth imaging company Synspective.
A batch of 29 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.
A batch of 29 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.
A batch of 25 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.
Ride-share launch of 8 satellites to sun-synchronous orbit: * Juntian-1-04A * Dongpo-11 * Dongpo-12 * Dongpo-16 * Weitong-1-01 * Xiguang-1-06…
The Yaogan 50-02 is a Chinese military “remote sensing” satellite of unknown purposes.
A batch of 29 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.
A batch of 25 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.
A pair of Chinese satellites reported to be for "Earth observation technological testing and validation" purposes. Actual usage not known.
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