A symbolic milestone in the lead-up to mission-readiness: the Pandora Observatory transmitted its first engineering images from low-Earth orbit on Jan. 19, 2026.
The CODA telescope, developed by a team of scientists and engineers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), in partnership with Corning Incorporated, captured an abstract portrait of the cosmos as it opened its eyes to deep space for the very first time.
"These two images are essentially Pandora saying, 'hello world,' a tradition in software development," said Jordan Karburn, LLNL engineer and deputy project manager for the Pandora mission. "There were cheers and excitement in the mission operations center when the images were first downlinked."
Demonstrating the performance of the optics system aboard a commercial Blue Canyon Technologies (BCT) spacecraft is an encouraging result for the team's unique approach and the first-of-its-kind mission. These are also the first ever on-orbit images for a mission from NASA's Astrophysics Pioneers Program, which selected Pandora in its inaugural year. While still in spacecraft commissioning, reaching this stage on the accelerated timeline and modest budget of Pandora is already an accomplishment.
Prior to being calibrated, the images captured by its visible detector assembly (VISDA) and near-infrared detector assembly (NIRDA) signal to the team that the small satellite is alive and well after a successful launch a week prior. The dark regions on the left side of the NIRDA image confirm that the cryocooler is functioning properly and has brought Pandora's near-infrared detector to its optimal operating temperature.
Pandora is currently in the commissioning phase, which is when the scientists characterize the performance of instruments onboard and refine spacecraft operations before beginning routine science observations. This is the first time the team can test the fully integrated payload assembly.
LLNL is working closely with Blue Canyon Technologies, the University of Arizona, NASA Goddard Spaceflight Center and NASA Ames Research Center to prepare Pandora for science operations. Researchers work to fine-tune the observatory's control systems, optimizing detector settings and validating the ground systems that will enable them to schedule observations, operate the spacecraft and transform raw images into science-ready products.
"The team is exceptionally pleased with the system's pointing stability, or how stable the spacecraft is over long periods of time while producing an image, which was one of the key performance metrics for Pandora," said Karburn. "It was a driving factor that led to LLNL's partnership with BCT to provide the spacecraft."
To effectively filter the starlight and examine the exoplanet atmospheres, the spacecraft and telescope must remain extremely steady during observations. Pandora achieved better-than-required sub-arcsecond attitude pointing stability on orbit by using the 45-centimeter CODA telescope as part of the spacecraft's pointing system.
In the next few weeks, the team will finalize commissioning and calibration of the payload in preparation for producing the mission's first scientific images. Once fully operational, Pandora will observe exoplanets and their host stars to help scientists identify atmospheric features such as water vapor, clouds and haze. Those measurements will complement data from larger observatories, including the James Webb Space Telescope, and help researchers interpret signals from distant worlds with greater confidence.
The initial test images from Pandora are a major technical achievement for LLNL and its partners. The early progress signifies that lower-cost, high-impact science is not only possible, but already a reality.
