Daniel Apai

@evgenya @ASU @NASAJPL @NASA Very cool, congratulations!!

SPARCS' First Light images demonstrate that it is working on orbit. Exciting science times ahead! Congratulations to the whole team including those at @ASU, @NASAJPL, and @NASA. #hds-sidebar-nav-2" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">nasa.gov/science-resear…

Highlighting a new paper from UA/LPL Grad Student Arin Avsar that places some of the first constraints on the population of planetesimals (~30-100km asteroids) around young stars! arxiv.org/abs/2603.07376

Nature wrote an article about my role on NASA’s Pandora mission! Aside from being a cutting-edge exoplanet explorer, Pandora serves as a way for early career folks to gain hands-on experience serving in mission leadership roles. Read about it here: nature.com/articles/d4158…

What if Earth-sized HZ worlds don’t have exactly Earth-like climate feedbacks? Climate Chaos, Snowballs, run-aways - but also many temperate yet not-Earth-like worlds! Congrats to Chaucer Langbert on this cool study! arxiv.org/abs/2602.10369 @StewardAstro @UArizonaLPL @uazresearch

The Pandora satellite provides career training grounds while observing exoplanets go.nature.com/3Zjr2Xq

Galaxy Slam takes place February 14-21 and features LPL Associate Professors Kris Klein and Ty Robinson! youtube.com/watch?v=fhxf4X…

In its first year, our new exoplanet explorer Pandora will study 20+ worlds beyond our solar system. On the list is puffy gas giant WASP-107 b. In 2024, @NASAWebb revealed that its core is hotter and more massive than we expected. What will Pandora find? go.nasa.gov/3NWEY6Z

Pandora is now operated from @uarizona’s Multi-Mission Operation Center, marking the first on-orbit @NASA mission managed by the university. Pandora will study exoplanet atmospheres while the U of A leads end-to-end mission operations. More: tinyurl.com/3nbpdnp7

Our @NASA Pandora space telescope is on orbit!! Congrats to the team and @NASA, LSP, @SpaceX, and everyone who helped to get to this exciting point! What will Pandora do and why is it important for exoplanet science? Read my short article on this: theconversation.com/nasas-pandora-…

Our @NASA Pandora Space Telescope is up in orbit - but how did the launch feel, up close and personal? Read my blog post about experiencing a @SpaceX Falcon 9 #launch of space telescopes from a restricted Space Force Base: distantearths.com/how-did-the-la… #spacex #launch

A mission impossible (at least, unaffordable) without rideshare launch and the smallsat revolution. arstechnica.com/space/2026/01/…

Local opinion: Southeastern Arizona’s growing role in a national security moment
 tucson.com/opinion/column… via @tucsonstar

@NASAGoddard @NASAAmes🚀 Congratulations to @DanielApai and the entire #PandoraMission team on this important milestone!😊☺️ #NASA #AstrophysicsPioneers #ExoplanetResearch #Habitability #SpaceScience #Astrobiology #Exoplanets #Astronomy #Space #habitableworlds

Congratulations to @danielapai and the rest of the Pandora team for this morning’s launch and the success of this mission to date. I can't wait to see the new knowledge resulting from this mission. @Livermore_Lab @NASA @BlueCanyonTech @Corning

This is why we’re excited about Pandora! Simultaneous star + planet observations = cleaner exoplanet atmospheres!

Meet Pandora, @NASA’s first satellite in the Pioneers Program! Launching no earlier than Jan. 11 from Vandenberg Space Force Base, Pandora will study the atmospheres of worlds beyond our solar system to help scientists look for chemical "fingerprints." go.nasa.gov/49q6h0z

🕢 Pandora is on the clock! Pandora is part of SpaceX’s Twilight rideshare mission and is targeting launch on Sunday, Jan. 11. The 57-minute launch window opens at 5:19 am PST (8:19 am EST) from Space Launch Complex 4 East at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.