NASA has selected SpaceX to provide launch services for StarBurst, a small satellite mission designed to study some of the universe's most energetic explosions. NASA announced the selection on September 17, 2026, saying StarBurst is planned to launch no earlier than 2028 on a Falcon 9 as part of a Bandwagon rideshare mission from Florida.
StarBurst is being developed to investigate short gamma-ray bursts, brief flashes of extremely high-energy radiation associated with violent cosmic events. A key scientific goal is to examine the early high-energy emission from these bursts and connect those observations with mergers of neutron stars.
What the mission will do
The satellite is designed to watch a very large portion of the sky that is not blocked by Earth. That wide field of view matters because gamma-ray bursts are short-lived and can appear in unpredictable parts of the sky. Detecting the initial flash quickly gives other observatories an opportunity to follow the event at other wavelengths.
NASA says StarBurst will work as part of a multimessenger astronomy approach. Researchers can combine its gamma-ray observations with gravitational-wave measurements and follow-up observations from other telescopes. Together, those signals can provide a more complete picture of what happens when dense stellar remnants collide.
Why neutron-star mergers matter
Neutron stars are extremely dense remnants left after certain massive stars die. When two neutron stars merge, they can produce gravitational waves and powerful electromagnetic events. Studying both signals can help scientists test models of matter at extreme density and better understand the origins of short gamma-ray bursts.
Launch plan
NASA selected SpaceX under the agency's Venture-Class Acquisition of Dedicated and Rideshare launch services framework. The current plan calls for StarBurst to fly as a rideshare payload on a Falcon 9 Bandwagon mission, with launch targeted for no earlier than 2028.
The spacecraft is part of NASA's Astrophysics Pioneers Program, which supports lower-cost investigations using small spacecraft and other platforms. The program allows researchers to pursue focused astrophysics questions without the scale of a flagship observatory.
What happens next
The immediate phase is preparation rather than launch. NASA and its partners will continue mission development, spacecraft testing and launch integration before StarBurst is placed on a future Falcon 9 flight. Because the current launch target is no earlier than 2028, this remains a long-term mission milestone rather than an imminent liftoff.
The September 2026 announcement nevertheless gives StarBurst a confirmed launch provider and a defined path to orbit. Its observations are intended to add another piece to the network of instruments studying the universe through light and gravitational waves.
Source
NASA — StarBurst launch services announcement
