Hurricane forecasters will soon have a new tool to better understand and forecast storm intensity. A constellation of eight microsatellites, called NASA’s Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System mission, or CYGNSS, got a boost into Earth orbit at 8:37 a.m. EST today, Dec. 15, 2016, aboard an Orbital ATK Pegasus XL rocket.
The unique, air-launched vehicle was carried aloft by Orbital’s modified L-1011 aircraft, “Stargazer,” which took off from the Skid Strip runway at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida and deployed the three-stage Pegasus XL rocket at a predetermined drop point 39,000 feet above the Atlantic Ocean and about 110 nautical miles east-northeast of Daytona Beach.
NASA’s F-18 support aircraft was used to provide live coverage of the Orbital ATK L-1011 air-launch of its Pegasus XL rocket carrying CYGNSS. This photo was taken by Armstrong videographer, Lori Losey, as the AFRC F-18 chased Orbital’s L-1011 carrier aircraft.
Image Credit: NASA/Lori Losey
The mission was a great success and CYGNSS is now in orbit. NASA kept a blog running with real-time updates as the launch progressed. (NASA: CYGNSS Hurricane Mission)
The summary above didn't specify much about the eight satellites which were released by the primary CYGNSS satellite and they will be moved to their final positions over the next few days to begin the hurricane studies.
The successful launch today and particularly in this novel way shows the extraordinary dynamics of American spaceflight and around the world. The fast pace and number of launches going back some weeks has been highly-encouraging for the space programs here and around the world with remarkable success coming from private and semi-private companies.
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