Storm-chaser satellites kicked into orbit from Māhia

Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket lifts off from Mahia on Saturday. Picture by Rocket Lab

The second of two rocket launches to deploy a constellation of storm- monitoring satellites for NASA launched from Mahia on Saturday.

The mission, named Coming To A Storm Near You, was originally scheduled to launch last Monday but was delayed — by a storm.

The mission marks Rocket Lab’s second of two TROPICS launches for NASA, following the first on May 8.

Like the previous launch, Coming To A Storm Near You will send a pair of shoebox-sized satellites to low Earth orbit to collect tropical storm data more frequently than other weather satellites.

The TROPICS constellation (Time-Resolved Observations of Precipitation structure and storm Intensity with a Constellation of Smallsats) will help increase understanding of deadly storms and improve tropical cyclone forecasts,

The TROPICS launches were Rocket Lab’s 36th and 37th, but were unique from most of the company’s other missions to low Earth orbit due to the 30 degree inclination requirement.

To reach such a low inclination from Launch Complex 1, Rocket Lab used Electron’s second stage to place the Kick Stage and TROPICS satellites into a circular orbit, and the Kick Stage’s Curie engine carried out a plane change manoeuvre to position the TROPICS satellites at 30 degrees.

“Electron was developed for exactly these kinds of missions – to deploy spacecraft reliably and on rapid timelines to precise and bespoke orbits, so we’re proud to have delivered that for NASA across both TROPICS launches and meet the deadline for getting TROPICS to orbit in time for the 2023 storm season,” Rocket Lab founder and chief executive Peter Beck said. “The TROPICS constellation has the potential to save lives and improve our knowledge of deadly storms, so we’re immensely proud to be part of making it possible,”