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Small Satellite Missions

    Signal Acquired!

    Team members successfully sent commands to the first CubeSat at 1:48 a.m. EDT, May 8. Subsequently, they established communications with the second CubeSat at 6:31 a.m. EDT. Read the NASA release here. For imagery of this mission, please check here. Follow launch updates on this blog and stay connected with the mission on social media. …

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    Working Toward Signal Acquisition

    Two TROPICS CubeSats successfully deployed from a Rocket Lab Electron rocket after launch. The team is working toward signal acquisition from the pair of TROPICS CubeSats. NASA will continue to assess data from periodic pass opportunities. It is not unexpected for CubeSats to take some time to establish communications. We will provide confirmation when signal …

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    TROPICS CubeSats Expected to Have Deployed

    NASA’s TROPICS CubeSats are expected to have deployed from the Rocket Lab’s Electron kick stage. The two CubeSats will reach low-Earth orbit to begin their mission. Each of the CubeSats was designed to last approximately two years, but analysis, lifetime testing of key parts, and on-orbit experiences with similar hardware could help the satellites surpass …

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    Electron’s Second Stage Separates

    The second stage of Rocket Lab’s Electron has cut off and separated from the payload kick stage. Soon, the kick stage engine will ignite and burn for about three minutes before it cuts off.

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    Liftoff For Rocket Like a Hurricane!

    A Rocket Lab Electron rocket lifts off from New Zealand with two TROPICS Cubesats

    Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket lifts off from Launch Complex 1 at Māhia, New Zealand at 9:00 p.m., carrying two TROPICS CubeSats for NASA. A series of milestones will occur within several minutes after launch. The rocket will reach MaxQ, which is the speed at which the vehicle reaches its maximum dynamic pressure. Electron’s first stage …

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    Rocket Lab’s Electron Rocket Prepares for Launch

    TROPICS will launch aboard Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket, named Rocket Like A Hurricane, from Launch Complex 1 at Māhia, New Zealand. The Electron is an expendable, vertically launched, two-stage rocket that uses liquid oxygen and kerosene as propellants. Propellant loading has already begun for today’s launch and the rocket should launch in about five minutes. …

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    Go For Launch!

    The team has just called out Go for Launch, and the Electron rocket should blast off in about 10 minutes.

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    Mission Facts About NASA’s TROPICS

    Each TROPICS satellite is identical – a 3U CubeSat about the size of a loaf of bread that weighs about 12 pounds. The TROPICS CubeSat payload is a spinning microwave radiometer with highly integrated, compact microwave receiver electronics. TROPICS satellites measure microwave frequencies ranging from about 90 to 205 gigahertz, which can monitor the atmospheric …

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