NASA launches tiny hurricane-hunting satellites
Digital Reporter
Thursday, December 15, 2016, 7:24 PM - After some delay, the pint-sized next generation of NASA's hurricane tracking satellites is now safely in orbit around the Earth.
The eight small satellites of the space agency's Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System (CYGNSS) were successfully launched on Thursday from a rocket carried aloft by a converted airliner. Equipment and software problems forced the launch to be postponed Monday and Wednesday, according to Space.com.
The satellites, which collectively cost around $157 million, will now orbit the Earth at an altitude of about 500 km, with a 35-degree inclination, such that they will pass successively over a specific point every 12 minutes.
Coupled with data from GPS satellites, the satellites will be used to measure wind speeds using GPS signals bounced off of ocean surfaces. NASA says that will allow new images of wind speeds over the tropics every few hours, whereas currently, single satellites can only accomplish this every few days.
The end result, if all goes as planned, is to allow forecasters to paint a more accurate picture of hurricanes as they develop.
"Hurricane forecasts have been steadily improving," Chris Ruf, CYGNSS' principal investigator and a professor at the University of Michigan said at a Saturday press con. "Forecasts of intensity have not improved anywhere near as much."
