The TROPICS launches follow on from previous successful Electron missions for NASA, including the ELaNa-19 mission and CAPSTONE mission to the Moon.įounded in 2006, Rocket Lab is an end-to-end space company with an established track record of mission success. ‘Rocket Like a Hurricane’ will be Rocket Lab’s fourth Electron mission for 2023 and the Company’s 36 th launch overall since Rocket Lab’s first Electron launch in 2017. The second launch ‘Coming To a Storm Near You’ is expected to launch approximately two weeks following the successful launch of "Rocket Like a Hurricane." All four satellites need to be deployed into their operational orbit within a 60-day period. The constellation, which is part of NASA’s Earth System Science Pathfinder Program, consists of four CubeSats that require launch to a specific orbit at an altitude of 550 kilometers and inclination of about 30 degrees. This data will help scientists better understand the processes that effect these high-impact storms, ultimately leading to improved modelling and prediction. The TROPICS constellation (Time-Resolved Observations of Precipitation structure and storm Intensity with a Constellation of Smallsats) will monitor the formation and evolution of tropical cyclones, including hurricanes, and will provide rapidly updating observations of storm intensity. The launch window extends for two hours and there are back up opportunities throughout May should the launch date need to be adjusted. The first launch, called ‘Rocket Like a Hurricane,’ is scheduled for lift-off no earlier than 13:00 on May 8 th NZST from Launch Complex 1 on New Zealand’s Mahia Peninsula. Rocket Lab's Electron rocket on the pad at Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand ahead of the 'Rocket Like a Hurricane' launch, the first of two dedicated Electron launches for NASA to deploy the TROPICS storm-monitoring constellation.
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