Her two little companions NASAwho will watch the evolution of cyclones hour after hour, are being translated today into space rocket of the American company Rocket Lab, launched from New Zealand.

The micro-launcher Electron missile, which is only 18 meters high, was launched at 13:00 local time (04:00 Greek time) from Mahia in northern New Zealand, according to Rocket Lab.

The two Cubesat-class satellites weigh about 5 kilograms and will be launched into orbit at an altitude of about 550 kilometers. A second rocket, also owned by Rocket Lab, is expected to launch in about two weeks, carrying two more satellites to complete this little constellation.

Two TROPICS CubeSats successfully deployed with @RocketLab Electronic rocket after launch. Getting a signal from a pair @NASAErth installation of small satellites may take some time, which is not unexpected.

We will provide confirmation when the signal is received:… pic.twitter.com/SGyphgdeZ7

— NASA (@NASA) May 8, 2023

Then he can spend over cyclones (or hurricanes in the Pacific) every hour instead of the current six hours. This mission was called TROPICS.

These satellites will allow scientists to no longer see “just what is happening at the moment (…), but actually see the evolution of things hour by hour,” NASA scientist Will McCarthy said at a press conference today.

“We will always need big satellites,” he added. “But what we can learn from this mission is information that complements the information about the flagship satellites that we already have,” he said.

Improving weather forecasts

The information that will be collected on precipitation, temperature and humidity will improve meteorological forecasts, especially as to where the cyclone will make landfall and with what intensity, as well as better prepare for the possible evacuation of the population in which they live. coastal zone.

“Many organizations, such as the US National Hurricane Center and the Joint Hurricane Warning Center, are willing to receive our images to inform their meteorologists,” said NASA spokesman Ben Kim.

In the long term, a better understanding of the formation and evolution of these storms will improve climate models.

The TROPICS “constellation” was originally planned to consist of six satellites, but the first two were lost due to a malfunction of the American company’s Astra rocket shortly after launch last year.

As the surface of the ocean warms, cyclones (or hurricanes) become more powerful, scientists say.

Hurricane Yang, which hit Florida in 2022, caused dozens of deaths and damage estimated at more than $100 billion and became the world’s costliest disaster last year.

^{Source: APE-MEB, AFP.}