A pair of NASA’s TROPICS CubeSats are scheduled to launch today on a Rocket Lab Electron rocket from New Zealand. A two-hour window opens at 9 p.m. EDT. Here’s a look at some of today’s upcoming milestones. All times are approximate: T-2:00 Launch autosequence begins T-00:02 Rutherford engines ignite T-00 Liftoff L-1:00 Vehicle supersonic L-1:11 …
Live coverage has begun for the first of two launches of NASA’s TROPICS mission. Rocket Lab is targeting 9 p.m. EDT (1 p.m. Monday, May 8, New Zealand Standard Time) for the launch of Rocket Like A Hurricane, the company’s Electron rocket that will send a pair of CubeSats to low Earth-Orbit. Watch the broadcast …
Weather officials with Rocket Lab predict a 70% percent chance of favorable weather for today’s launch of NASA’s TROPICS (Time-Resolved Observations of Precipitation structure and storm Intensity with a Constellation of Smallsats) mission. The primary weather concern for today’s launch is a low probability of violation (POV) for cumulus/disturbed weather and low-moderate POV for ground …
It’s launch day for NASA’s TROPICS (Time-Resolved Observations of Precipitation structure and storm Intensity with a Constellation of Smallsats) mission! A pair of small satellites wait atop a Rocket Lab Electron rocket for liftoff from Launch Complex 1 in Māhia, New Zealand. This launch, named Rocket Like A Hurricane, is the first of two planned …
NASA’s Lunar Flashlight operations team continues to work on remedying the CubeSat’s underperforming propulsion system. They developed a method to get one of the CubeSat’s four thrusters to deliver more thrust; however, the small spacecraft will need additional, more consistent thrust in the next few days to reach its revised target orbit. Devised by team …
Launch of NASA’s TROPICS (Time-Resolved Observations of Precipitation structure and storm Intensity with a Constellation of Smallsats) mission is delayed due to a weather front headed toward Rocket Lab’s Launch Complex-1 in Mahia, New Zealand. Rocket Lab will assess the weather as it evolves over the weekend and confirm a new target date soon. This …
A NASA constellation of four storm tracking CubeSats are getting a new launch location as they prepare to study tropical cyclones beginning in the 2023 Atlantic hurricane season. NASA’s Time-Resolved Observations of Precipitation Structure and Storm Intensity with a Constellation of SmallSats (TROPICS) will observe the atmosphere to increase our understanding of hurricanes, typhoons, and …
NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative (CSLI) has partnered with the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force to select eight schools for the University Nanosatellite Program (UNP) Mission Concepts-1: 2023 Summer Series. Running from May through August, the program provides students with systems engineering training, preparing them to work in the space industry while simultaneously enhancing …
Editor’s note: This article was updated on April 4 to provide the latest target launch date information. NASA is announcing two small CubeSats missions to launch on a commercial dedicated rideshare flight as part of the agency’s Educational Launch of Nanosatellites (ELaNa) initiative, which helps advance scientific and human exploration, as well as reduce the …
Teams are continuing work to place NASA’s Lunar Flashlight CubeSat in an orbit that would allow flights over the Moon’s South Pole. The opportunity to place Lunar Flashlight in such an orbit extends through the end of April. Shortly after launch on Dec. 11, 2022, the operations team for NASA’s Lunar Flashlight determined that three …
