Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket will lift off from Launch Complex 1 in Māhia, New Zealand at 9 p.m., carrying two TROPICS CubeSats for NASA.
The first pair of TROPICS CubeSats will lift off aboard a Rocket Lab Electron rocket from Launch Complex 1, Pad B, in Māhia, New Zealand, in early May.
After successfully launching the first pair of small satellites earlier this month from New Zealand, NASA and Rocket Lab are now aiming to launch the second pair of storms as early as 1:30 a.m. EDT on Monday, May 22 (5:30 p.m. NZST). tracking CubeSats into orbit.
The agency’s TROPICS (Time-Resolved Observations of Precipitation structure and Intensity with a Constellation of Smallsats) mission will launch aboard Rocket Lab Electron from Launch Complex 1 Pad B in Māhia, New Zealand.
Rocket Lab will provide live coverage approximately 20 minutes prior to launch. Coverage will be broadcast on NASA TV, the NASA app, the agency’s website and the Rocket Lab website.
TROPICS is a constellation of four identical CubeSats designed to observe tropical cyclones from low Earth orbit, making observations more frequently than current weather monitoring satellites. More frequent data collection can help scientists improve weather forecasting models.
NASA will use TROPICS to study tropical cyclones as part of the agency’s Earth Venture Class missions, which select targeted science missions to fill gaps in our overarching understanding of the entire Earth system.
Full coverage of this mission is as follows (all Eastern):
Monday, May 22
At approximately 1:15 – the live stream begins
No sooner than 1:30 – The launch window will open
Launch of the NASA website
Follow NASA’s blog for countdown coverage for the start of the update starting at 12:00 p.m. at the earliest. Streaming video and photos of the launch will be available shortly after launch on Rocket Lab’s website and Flickr. The images are also available on the NASA website.
Stay connected and get mission updates by following and tagging these accounts:
Twitter: @NASA_LSP, @NASAEarth, @NASAGoddard, @NASA, @RocketLab
Facebook: NASA, NASA LSP, RocketLabUSA
Instagram: @NASA, @NASAEarth, @RocketLabUSA
The TROPICS team is led by Dr. William Blackwell at MIT’s Lincoln Laboratory in Lexington, Massachusetts, and includes researchers from NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and several universities and commercial partners. The launch service is managed by NASA’s Launch Services Program, based at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
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