Falcon 9 B5 • CSG 3 & Pandora

Falcon 9 B5 • CSG 3 & Pandora

A SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5 rocket will launch the COSMO-SkyMed Seconda Generazione 3, or CSG 3, radar surveillance satellite for ASI, the Italian space agency. The mission was switched from Vega C to Falcon 9 in 2025. Additionally on board will be the Pandora exoplanet observatory for NASA. Pandora is a 325kg satellite designed to characterize exoplanet atmospheres and their host stars. It is slated to observe at least 20 different planets during its one year of science operations. Another payload will be SPARCS and others ride-sharing satellites. The Falcon 9 booster is designated as B1081.21 for this flight and will perform a RTLS landing at LZ-4. - CSG 3 is the third satellite of the COSMO-SkyMed second generation (Constellation of Small Satellites for Mediterranean basin observation) or CSG Earth observation program of the Italian Space Agency (ASI) to replace the first generation COSMO-SkyMed system. The 2205kg satellites are improved versions of the original design and utilize an enhanced version of the Prima Bus. The CSG-SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar) is a new version of the first generation X-band SAR system. The satellites will operate in the same circular sun-synchronous dawn-dusk orbit and plane as the first generation satellites with a nominal altitude of 619km and an inclination of 97.86°. - Moved forward from 2026. Webcast: https://www.spacex.com/launches https://spaceflightnow.com

📍 Vandenberg AFB Space Launch Complex 4, Lompoc, Kalifornien 93436, USA

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