Author Topic: Electron : LC-1B : TROPICS F2: Rocket Like A Hurricane : 8 May 2023 01:00 UTC  (Read 43155 times)

Offline Conexion Espacial

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Any moderator who can change the title of the forum:
Electron : LC-1B : TROPICS Flight 2: Rocket Like A Hurricane : May 1, 2023 (01:00 UTC)
« Last Edit: 04/10/2023 09:04 pm by Conexion Espacial »
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Offline Conexion Espacial

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I publish information in Spanish about space and rockets.
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Offline Conexion Espacial

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Launch Window
NET May 1, 2023
Launch Time
01:00-03:00 UTC
Press-Kit: https://www.rocketlabusa.com/assets/Uploads/FINAL-TROPICS-Press-Kit.pdf
« Last Edit: 04/10/2023 09:01 pm by Conexion Espacial »
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Offline FutureSpaceTourist

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https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230410005386/en/Rocket-Lab-to-Launch-NASA%E2%80%99s-Cyclone-Tracking-Satellite-Constellation-from-New-Zealand

Quote
Rocket Lab to Launch NASA’s Cyclone-Tracking Satellite Constellation from New Zealand
To ensure the constellation is in orbit for the 2023 storm season, Rocket Lab will launch NASA’s four TROPICS satellites from Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand across two dedicated Electron missions in May

April 10, 2023 04:15 PM Eastern Daylight Time
LONG BEACH, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Rocket Lab USA, Inc. (Nasdaq: RKLB) (“Rocket Lab” or “the Company”), a leading launch and space systems company, today announced it will launch NASA’s TROPICS constellation across two dedicated Electron missions lifting off from Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand next month.

The TROPICS constellation (Time-Resolved Observations of Precipitation Structure and Storm Intensity with a Constellation of Small Sats) will monitor the formation and evolution of tropical cyclones, including hurricanes, and will provide rapidly updating observations of storm intensity. This data will help scientists better understand the processes that effect these high-impact storms, ultimately leading to improved modelling and prediction. The two missions are expected to launch within approximately two weeks of each other in May 2023. The first launch, named ‘Rocket Like a Hurricane,’ is expected to launch as soon as May 1 NZST (30 April EDT) and the second mission, named ‘Coming to a Storm Near You,’ is expected to follow around May 16 NZST (May 15 EDT).

The constellation, which is part of NASA’s Earth System Science Pathfinder Program, consists of four CubeSats that require launch to a specific orbit at an altitude of 550 kilometers and inclination of about 30 degrees. All four satellites need to be deployed into their operational orbit within a 60-day period, making Electron the ideal launch vehicle as it enables dedicated launch to unique orbits on highly responsive timelines. The two missions were initially scheduled to lift-off from Launch Complex 2 at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport within NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia but will now take place at Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand to support a Q2 launch window that will see the satellites reach orbit in time for the North American 2023 hurricane season.

“The need for improved climate and weather data from space is acute and growing. Hurricanes and tropical storms have a devastating effect on lives and livelihoods, so we’re immensely proud to be entrusted by NASA to launch the TROPICS missions which will enable scientists and researchers to accurately predict storm strength and give people time to evacuate and make plans,” said Rocket Lab founder and CEO, Peter Beck. “With the 2023 hurricane season fast approaching, time is of the essence for these missions. Because we operate three launch pads across two countries, we can constantly assess the launch manifest and adapt launch schedules and locations based on customer and mission requirements.”

“The ability to advance our understanding of tropical cyclones from space has been limited by the ability to take frequent measurements, particularly from microwave instruments that see into the storms,” says Will McCarty, Program Scientist for the TROPICS Mission. “Historically, satellites have been too large and expensive to provide observations at a time-frequency that is consistent with the timescales at which tropical cyclones can evolve. The CubeSat era has allowed for smaller, less expensive satellites. With modern small satellite design, we designed a constellation that optimizes the scientific utility of the mission in a way that we can launch in a cost-effective manner. These factors enable TROPICS to provide a new understanding of tropical cyclones by decreasing the time by which a given storm is revisited by the satellites.”

Rocket Lab was selected to launch the TROPICS missions as part of NASA’s Venture-class Acquisition of Dedicated and Rideshare (VADR) launch services contract.

Offline Bean Kenobi

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No more to be launched from MARS but from Mahia (N-Z).

Offline Ken the Bin

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An updated Press Kit has been posted. The Timeline of Launch Events has been updated. In particular the kick stage ignition and payload deployment occurs much sooner.

https://www.rocketlabusa.com/assets/Uploads/F3738-TROPICS-Press-Kit.pdf

Offline FutureSpaceTourist

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https://twitter.com/rocketlab/status/1646968461162344448

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Two launches, four satellites, one mission - to monitor hurricanes and extreme storms to better predict their intensity and save lives. 

Both Electron rockets are now undergoing final preparation ahead of lift-off for the two @NASA TROPICS launches next month 🚀🚀🛰️🛰️🛰️🛰️

Offline FutureSpaceTourist

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https://twitter.com/rocketlab/status/1648447618757042177

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It’s integration time for @NASA TROPICS! With satellite checks complete by the NASA and @MITLL teams at Launch Complex 1, soon the first pair of TROPICS sats will be mounted to Electron ahead of launch in >2 weeks.

First TROPICS launch: NET 1 May. https://bit.ly/2XZCCWf

Offline FutureSpaceTourist

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https://twitter.com/nasa_lsp/status/1650594611205734400

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🛰🛰🚀Media are invited to ask experts about the upcoming launch of the TROPICS satellites at a news conference Friday, April 28!

The first pair will launch May 1 from New Zealand on Rocket Lab’s #RocketLikeAHurricane mission.

Learn More: https://go.nasa.gov/3oGndwl

Offline TrevorMonty

Launch is UTC 01:00 on 1st.

Offline Targeteer

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April 24, 2023
MEDIA ADVISORY M23-048
NASA, Rocket Lab Set Coverage for Tropical Cyclones Mission
Hurricane Ian as captured by the MODIS instrument on NASA’s Terra on Sept. 27, 2022.
NASA’s TROPICS (Time-Resolved Observations of Precipitation structure and storm Intensity with a Constellation of Smallsats) is a mission to study tropical cyclones, such as Hurricane Ian, pictured here as captured by the MODIS instrument on NASA’s Terra on Sept. 27, 2022.
Credits: NASA

NASA and Rocket Lab are targeting 9 p.m. EDT, Sunday, April 30 (1 p.m. New Zealand Standard Time, Monday, May 1), to launch two storm tracking CubeSats into orbit. 

The agency’s TROPICS (Time-Resolved Observations of Precipitation structure and storm Intensity with a Constellation of Smallsats) mission has a two hour launch window from Launch Complex 1 Pad B in Māhia, New Zealand.

Rocket Lab will provide live coverage beginning approximately 20 minutes before launch. Coverage will air on NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency’s website, as well as the Rocket Lab website.

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. Both payloads, each carrying a pair of CubeSats, will launch on a Rocket Lab Electron rocket.

A second launch from Rocket Lab with two additional CubeSats is targeted for Monday, May 15 EDT (Tuesday, May 16 NZST), with exact launch times contingent on the date and time of the first launch.

TROPICS will study tropical cyclones as part of NASA’s Earth System Science Pathfinder Program and should increase understanding of the processes driving rapid changes in storm structure and integrity. NASA plans to have the CubeSats distributed evenly in two low Earth orbital planes about 340 miles (550 kilometers) above the Earth’s surface. TROPICS has the potential to provide roughly hourly observations of a storm’s precipitation, temperature, and humidity, compared to about every six hours with current satellites. Gathering data more frequently can help scientists improve weather forecasting models.

Full coverage of this mission is as follows (all times Eastern):

Friday, April 28

NASA and Rocket Lab will host a media teleconference at 4 p.m. for the TROPICS mission. Audio of the briefing will be livestreamed on NASA's website.

The teleconference participants will include:

    Dr. Will McCarty, program scientist, NASA Earth Science Division
    Ben Kim, program executive, NASA Earth Science Division
    Dr. William Blackwell, TROPICS principal investigator, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
    Bradley Smith, Director, Launch Services for NASA’s Space Operations Mission Directorate
    Peter Beck, Rocket Lab founder and CEO

To participate, media must RSVP at least two hours prior to the start of the briefing by emailing: [email protected].

Saturday, April 30

Approximately 8:40 p.m. – Live launch coverage begins

9 p.m. – Launch window opens

NASA website launch coverage

Follow countdown coverage on NASA’s launch blog for live updates beginning no earlier than 8 p.m. as the countdown milestones occur. On-demand streaming video and photos of the launch will be available shortly after liftoff on Rocket Lab’s website and Flickr.

Watch, engage on social media

Stay connected and receive mission updates by following and tagging these accounts:

Twitter: @NASA_LSP, @NASAEarth, @NASAKennedy, @NASA, @RocketLab

Facebook: NASA, NASA LSP, RocketLabUSA

Instagram: @NASA, @NASAEarth, @RocketLabUSA

The TROPICS team is led by Blackwell at MIT’s Lincoln Laboratory in Lexington, Massachusetts, and includes researchers from NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and several universities and commercial partners. NASA’s Launch Services Program, based at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, is managing launch services.

For more information about NASA’s TROPICS, visit:

https://go.nasa.gov/3h46pJp

-end-
    

Press Contacts

Karen Fox
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1275
[email protected]

Kiana Raines
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1100
[email protected]

Leejay Lockhart
Kennedy Space Center, Florida
321-747-8310
[email protected]
Best quote heard during an inspection, "I was unaware that I was the only one who was aware."

Offline trimeta

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Offline Ken the Bin

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NGA notice.

Quote from: NGA
252155Z APR 23
HYDROPAC 1371/23(76).
WESTERN SOUTH PACIFIC.
NEW ZEALAND.
DNC 06.
1. HAZARDOUS OPERATIONS, ROCKET LAUNCHING
   010100Z TO 140300Z MAY IN AREA BOUND BY:
   39-15.00S 177-48.00E, 39-12.00S 177-51.00E,
   39-06.60S 178-00.00E, 38-56.40S 178-20.40E,
   39-07.20S 178-27.00E, 39-20.40S 177-57.60E,
   39-24.00S 177-57.60E, 39-25.20S 177-48.00E.
2. CANCEL THIS MSG 140400Z MAY 23.

Offline trimeta

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https://twitter.com/RocketLab/status/1650984795470725120

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Spacecraft integration is underway this week at LC-1 for our two
@NASA
 TROPICS missions.

The countdown to lift-off is on with the first launch scheduled no earlier than:
🚀 NZST | 13:00, May 1
🚀 UTC | 01:00, May 1
🚀 EDT | 21:00, 30 April
🚀 PDT | 18:00, 30 April

Offline Ken the Bin

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NGA Space Debris notice to go along with the above posted Rocket Launching notice.

Quote from: NGA
252253Z APR 23
HYDROPAC 1372/23(76,83).
SOUTH PACIFIC.
DNC 06.
1. HAZARDOUS OPERATIONS, SPACE DEBRIS
   010100Z TO 140300Z MAY IN AREAS BOUND BY:
   A. 35-07.09S 174-43.22W, 34-18.88S 175-39.48W,
      35-58.00S 177-54.06W, 36-46.55S 177-00.04W.
   B. 26-56.41S 155-33.85W, 26-01.49S 156-07.50W,
      28-44.90S 162-21.97W, 29-41.99S 161-53.52W.
2. CANCEL THIS MSG 140400Z MAY 23

Offline GewoonLukas_

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Quote
🛰🛰A pair of TROPICS #CubeSats are in the eye of the storm - or rather, in the nose of an Electron rocket!

Teams encapsulated the cyclone-tracking satellites at
@RocketLab
's processing facility in Mahia, New Zealand.

Get ready to #RocketLikeAHurricane early next week!

https://twitter.com/NASA_LSP/status/1651228639579521037
Lukas C. H. • Hobbyist Mission Patch Artist 🎨 • May the force be with you my friend, Ad Astra Per Aspera ✨️

Offline FutureSpaceTourist

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https://twitter.com/rocketlab/status/1651309725466902528

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This mission is a particularly special one for our team. Earlier this year the region near LC-1 was hit hard by Cyclone Gabrielle, so it's a privilege to be launching satellites tasked with monitoring tropical storms and providing actionable data to those in storm paths.

Offline FutureSpaceTourist

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https://twitter.com/rocketlab/status/1651389155623206914

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Roll out is underway at Launch Complex 1 ahead of our first @NASA TROPICS launch on 1 May UTC. Always love to see the NASA meatball on Electron's fairing!

Offline FutureSpaceTourist

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https://twitter.com/rocketlab/status/1651705408044814337

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Our very first NASA launch was the ELaNa-19 mission in 2018. Electron has been providing reliable access to orbit for @NASA ever since. We can’t wait to launch the next one, TROPICS, on 1 May UTC.

Offline FutureSpaceTourist

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