Satellite by RTX’s Blue Canyon Launches for NASA Pandora Mission

A Saturn-200 minisatellite, developed by Blue Canyon Technologies has announced the successful launch of a Saturn-200 minisatellite for use in an interstellar mission.

Blue Canyon Technologies is provider of mission services and satellite manufacturing that operates under RTX. Aside from the bus platform, the company also offered post-launch bus commissioning as well as launch vehicle integration.

NASA’s Pandora mission aims to support the study of the atmospheres of different exoplanets, along with their host stars’ activity. It involves studying 20+ planets and tracking when a planet passes in front of its host star and reduces its light output—also known as transit.

NASA astronomers plan to analyze the impacts of transits on each planet’s atmosphere to learn more about their atmospheric compositions and ability to support life. The mission is focusing on planets that have atmospheres made up of mainly water or hydrogen.

NASA Science Mission Directorate program Pandora involves collaborations like:

• Led by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center leads Pandora
• Managed by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

"Pandora features the largest telescope payload ever integrated onto a Blue Canyon spacecraft," said Chris Winslett, general manager of Blue Canyon Technologies.

Winslett added, "Our Saturn-class platform, equipped with advanced guidance, navigation, and control systems, will provide the precision pointing and stability critical to the success of this important mission."

With this success, Blue Canyon has launched a total of 87 spacecraft.