NASA Tropics Launch

Launch of NASA’s Time-Resolved Observations of Precipitation structure and storm Intensity with a Constellation of Smallsats (TROPICS) mission is now targeted for 9 p.m. EDT, Sunday, May 7 (0100 UTC, Monday May 8) from Rocket Lab’s Launch Complex-1 in Māhia, New Zealand.

NASA and Rocket Lab will launch two CubeSats into orbit for the TROPICS (Time-Resolved Observations of Precipitation structure and storm Intensity with a Constellation of Smallsats) mission.

TROPICS is a constellation of four identical CubeSats designed to observe tropical cyclones from low Earth orbit, making observations more frequently than current weather tracking satellites. A second launch from Rocket Lab will carry two additional CubeSats, with exact launch times contingent on the date and time of the first launch.