Session
Session 6: Science Mission Payloads 1
Abstract
The Time-Resolved Observations of Precipitation structure and storm Intensity with a Constellation of Smallsats (TROPICS) mission was selected by NASA in 2016 as part of the Earth Venture–Instrument (EVI-3) program. The overarching goal for TROPICS is to provide nearly all-weather observations of 3-D temperature and humidity, as well as cloud ice and precipitation horizontal structure, at high temporal resolution to conduct high-value science investigations of tropical cyclones. TROPICS will provide rapid-refresh passive microwave measurements (median refresh rate better than 60 minutes for the baseline mission) over the tropics that can be used to observe the thermodynamics of the troposphere and precipitation structure for storm systems at the mesoscale and synoptic scale over the entire storm lifecycle. TROPICS comprises a constellation of at least six CubeSats with cross-track scanning microwave radiometers in three low-Earth orbital planes (two satellites per plane). The mission is on-track to deliver flight-ready hardware in 2019. The System Requirement Review and Mission Definition Review have been completed, and the Preliminary Design Review is scheduled for late 2017.
Presentation
The NASA TROPICS CubeSat Constellation Mission: Overview and Science Objectives
The Time-Resolved Observations of Precipitation structure and storm Intensity with a Constellation of Smallsats (TROPICS) mission was selected by NASA in 2016 as part of the Earth Venture–Instrument (EVI-3) program. The overarching goal for TROPICS is to provide nearly all-weather observations of 3-D temperature and humidity, as well as cloud ice and precipitation horizontal structure, at high temporal resolution to conduct high-value science investigations of tropical cyclones. TROPICS will provide rapid-refresh passive microwave measurements (median refresh rate better than 60 minutes for the baseline mission) over the tropics that can be used to observe the thermodynamics of the troposphere and precipitation structure for storm systems at the mesoscale and synoptic scale over the entire storm lifecycle. TROPICS comprises a constellation of at least six CubeSats with cross-track scanning microwave radiometers in three low-Earth orbital planes (two satellites per plane). The mission is on-track to deliver flight-ready hardware in 2019. The System Requirement Review and Mission Definition Review have been completed, and the Preliminary Design Review is scheduled for late 2017.
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