NASA Launches Mini-Satellites For Hurricane Forecasting
Follow CBSMIAMI.COM: Facebook | Twitter
CAPE CANAVERAL (CBSMiami/AP) — Eight mini-satellites which will be used to measure surface wind in the heart of hurricanes were launched into space Thursday morning by NASA.
The plane carrying the satellites took off shortly after sunrise from Cape Canaveral. An hour later, the co-pilot pushed the button that released the Pegasus rocket and attached satellites 39,000 feet above the Atlantic, 100 miles east of Daytona Beach. The Pegasus fired five seconds later, propelling the satellites toward orbit.
The $157 million Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System is meant to improve hurricane forecasting. The CYGNSS (SIG-nis) satellites have GPS navigation receivers to measure the surface roughness of oceans, letting scientists calculate wind speed and storm intensity. The spacecraft can peer through rain swirling in a hurricane, into the eye, or core.
Each spacecraft is just 64 pounds, with a 5-foot wingspan.
(TM and © Copyright 2016 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2016 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
