Rocket Lab successfully launches NASA's TROPICS CubeSat constellation.
Rocket Lab's Electron launched twice in two weeks to deliver the TROPICS constellation, containing four CubeSats, to orbit. The constellation will monitor tropical systems forming in the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean, performing scans about once every hour, an upgrade over current weather tracking satellites. The CubeSats carry a high-performance radiometer that will be able to see inside the structure of tropical systems through the tops of the clouds, including high-resolution scans of the eyewall.