A new mission was announced that could potentially save thousands if not, millions of lives. In an effort to better improve hurricane forecasting, NASA successfully launched a pair of NASA storm-monitoring satellites from New Zealand, Monday morning.
The “Rocket Like A Hurricane” mission with two CubeSats on boar, launched shortly after 1 pm from Rocket Lab Complex 1 on the Mahia Peninsula on the archipelago nation’s east coast.
The mission deployed two of four CubeSats that will create a constellation of tropical cyclone monitoring satellites for NASA, known by the acronym TROPICS, meaning Time-Resolved Observations of precipitation structure and storm Intensity with a Constellation of Smallsats.
“Liftoff! Two TROPICS shoebox-sized satellites are on their way to join the fleet of @NASAEarth missions studying our home planet,” NASA tweeted Sunday evening. They continued, “Together, TROPICS will have the potential to gather near-hourly data on the formation and development of tropical cyclones.”
Liftoff! Two TROPICS shoebox-sized satellites are on their way to join the fleet of @NASAEarth missions studying our home planet. Together, TROPICS will have the potential to gather near-hourly data on the formation and development of tropical cyclones. pic.twitter.com/wN4du9afZS
— NASA (@NASA) May 8, 2023
According to Space.com, about 33 minutes after liftoff, the Electron deployed the shoebox-sized TROPICS cubesats into low Earth orbit, about 340 miles (550 km) above earth.
“TROPICS aims to improve our scientific understanding by obtaining microwave observations that allow us to see the inner structure of the storm approximately hourly,” program executive at NASA’s Earth and Science Division Ben Kim said. “These observations will complement existing weather satellites and ultimately then can be tied to the broader understanding of the entire Earth system.”
“After 36 launches, we’re still not sick of this view,” Rocket Lab said in a tweeted photo of the rocket lifting off.
After 36 launches, we're still not sick of this view. #RocketLikeAHurricane pic.twitter.com/sWM4oSS4eA
— Rocket Lab (@RocketLab) May 8, 2023
“The need for improved climate and weather data from space is acute and growing. Hurricanes and tropical storms have a devastating effect on lives and livelihoods, so we’re immensely proud to be entrusted by NASA to launch the TROPICS missions which will enable scientists and researchers to accurately predict storm strength and give people time to evacuate and make plans,” said Rocket Lab founder and CEO Peter Beck in a statement. “With the 2023 hurricane season fast approaching, time is of the essence for these missions.”
Add comment