June Monthly Highlight- SSEC's TROPICS Mission
June 30, 2021UW-Madison researchers with the Space Science and Engineering Center are leading the Time-Resolved Observations of Precipitation structure and storm Intensity with a Constellation of Smallsats (TROPICS) investigation. The mission aims to provide rapidly updating measurements over the tropics. The small satellites, each about the size of a shoebox, will be used to observe the thermodynamic properties of the troposphere and precipitation structures for storm systems at both large and small scales.
Currently, NASA scheduled a launch of an engineering model version the satellite instrument for late June. The SpaceX launch on June 29th included the CubeSat satellite, providing testing for the satellite’s full capabilities. The official launch of the six CubeSat satellites is scheduled for 2022.
For more information on the science behind TROPICS and how data will be collected for the mission, check out SSEC’s recent news article on the exciting occasion.