NASA is launching the first two
of six small satellites no earlier than June 12 that will study the formation and development of tropical cyclones every hour
This is the first
of three CubeSat launches for NASA’s (TROPICS) mission.
The remaining satellites will be
placed into their orbits during two subsequent launches this year.
“TROPICS will give us very frequent views
of tropical cyclones, providing insight into their formation, intensification, and interactions with their environment and providing critical data for storm monitoring and forecasting
the weather satellites currently in low-
Earth orbit – such as NOAA-20, the joint NASA and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Suomi NPP satellite,
And others from
NASA’s partners – revisit a storm once every four to six hours.