Electron | Rocket Like A Hurricane (TROPICS-2)
Launch Successful
L - -- : -- : -- : --
Launch Window
May 8, 2023, 1 a.m. - May 8, 2023, 3 a.m.
May 8, 2023, 1 a.m. - May 8, 2023, 3 a.m.
NASA has selected Rocket Lab USA Inc. of Long Beach, California, to provide the launch service for the agency’s Time-Resolved Observations of Precipitation Structure and Storm Intensity with a Constellation of Smallsats (TROPICS) mission, as part of the agency's Venture-class Acquisition of Dedicate...
Third and fourth operational (TROPICS-04 & TROPICS-05) satellites for NASA's Time-Resolved Observations of Precipitation Structure and Storm Intensity with a Constellation of SmallSats (TROPICS) mission. The CubeSats are designed to provide rapid-refresh microwave measurements that can be used to determine temperature, pressure, and humidity inside hurricanes as they form and evolve.
Both TROPICS satellites have deployed from the Electron kickstage
Liftoff of Electron carrying 2 NASA TROPICS satellite
Livestream has started
Electron is a two-stage orbital expendable launch vehicle (with an optional third stage) developed by the American aerospace company Rocket Lab. Electron is a small-lift launch vehicle designed to launch small satellites and cubesats to sun-synchronous orbit and low earth orbit. The Electron is the first orbital class rocket to use electric-pump-fed engines, powered by the 9 Rutherford engines on the first stage. It is also used as a suborbital testbed (called HASTE) for hypersonics research.
See Electron Details
Booster expended on its first flight.
Core will be expended.
Rocket Lab is an American aerospace manufacturer with a wholly owned New Zealand subsidiary. The company develops lightweight, cost-effective commercial rocket launch services. The Electron Program was founded on the premise that small payloads such as CubeSats require dedicated small launch vehicles and flexibility not currently offered by traditional rocket systems. Its rocket, the Electron, is a light-weight rocket and is now operating commercially. The company is also producing a variety of spacecrafts and spacecrafts components.
INFO WIKI
NASA's TROPICS (Time-Resolved Observations of Precipitation structure and storm Intensity with a Constellation of Smallsats) are now fully operational, and are ready to bolster monitoring efforts for the ongoing Atlantic hurricane season.
A quartet of cubesats launched in May to monitor the development of tropical storm systems is working just in time to support monitoring of the Atlantic hurricane season.
After successfully launching the first pair of small satellites earlier this month from New Zealand, NASA and Rocket Lab are now targeting no earlier than 1:30 a.m. EDT Monday, May 22 (5:30 p.m. NZST), to launch the second pair of storm tr…
Two NASA CubeSats designed to study tropical cyclones, including hurricanes and typhoons, successfully launched at 1 p.m. Monday NZST (9 p.m. EDT Sunday).
NASA’s Time-Resolved Observations of Precipitation structure and storm Intensity with a Constellation of Smallsats (TROPICS) constellation, having switched launch vehicles after losing two satellites aboard an Astra Rocket 3.3 last year, h…
A batch of satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.
A batch of 23 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.
Commercial Earth observation satellite built by CAST for China Siwei Survey and Mapping Technology Co. Ltd, with 0.5 m resolution over 9 image wavele…
A batch of 23 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.
First Weather System Follow-on (WSF) satellite. WSF-M (Weather System Follow-on - Microwave) is the next-generation operational environmental sate…
First test launch of the Angara A5 launch vehicle from the Vostochny Cosmodrome. The rocket will carry a mass simulator payload.
A batch of 23 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.
Classified payload for the NRO. Last flight of the Delta IV Heavy rocket.
Dedicated rideshare flight to a mid-inclination orbit with dozens of small microsatellites and nanosatellites for commercial and government customers…
A batch of 21 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.