Rocket Labs announced that they would be launching NASA’s TROPICS constellation of Earth observing satellites from their Launch Complex 1 located in New Zealand. The constellation consisting of four CubeSats will be launched during over the course of two missions using Rocket Labs’ workhorse small class Electron launcher. The first mission, Rocket Like a Hurricane, could launch as early as May 1, while the second mission, Coming to a Storm Near You, is expected to happen around May 16. The constellations were to be launched from Launch Complex 2 in Virginia, but the location was changed to have a better chance of getting the constellation into orbit ahead of the US 2023 hurricane season.

“The need for improved climate and weather data from space is acute and growing. Hurricanes and tropical storms have a devastating effect on lives and livelihoods, so we’re immensely proud to be entrusted by NASA to launch the TROPICS missions which will enable scientists and researchers to accurately predict storm strength and give people time to evacuate and make plans,” said Rocket Lab founder and CEO, Peter Beck. “With the 2023 hurricane season fast approaching, time is of the essence for these missions. Because we operate three launch pads across two countries, we can constantly assess the launch manifest and adapt launch schedules and locations based on customer and mission requirements.”

The four CubeSats of the constellation need to be launched within a 60-day period, which is the reasoning for the quick launch schedule. The constellation requires a specific orbit at 550 km (342 miles) altitude with an inclination of about 30 degrees. Once in orbit the constellation will monitor the formation and evolution of tropical cyclones, including hurricanes. Current satellite coverage of tropical storms sees one observation about every 6 hours. TROPICS will increase the number of observations to one about every hour. The data collected from the satellites will help scientists to better understand the processes that form and drive these storms which will lead to improved storm prediction.

“The ability to advance our understanding of tropical cyclones from space has been limited by the ability to take frequent measurements, particularly from microwave instruments that see into the storms,” says Will McCarty, Program Scientist for the TROPICS Mission.  “Historically, satellites have been too large and expensive to provide observations at a time-frequency that is consistent with the timescales at which tropical cyclones can evolve.  The CubeSat era has allowed for smaller, less expensive satellites.  With modern small satellite design, we designed a constellation that optimizes the scientific utility of the mission in a way that we can launch in a cost-effective manner. These factors enable TROPICS to provide a new understanding of tropical cyclones by decreasing the time by which a given storm is revisited by the satellites.”

The TROPICS constellation had originally consisted of six CubeSats. Unfortunately, the first two satellites were lost during a failed launch attempt by Astra on June 12, 2022. An anomaly during the second stage of the launch saw the loss of the rocket and its payload. After the anomaly, Astra switched directions to developing their next launch vehicle and NASA selected Rocket Labs to finish out the TROPICS mission.

Rocket Labs Source NASA Source