Eight Satellites aboard NASA's CYGNSS to be Launched at 8.24 a.m. from Cape Canaveral, Florida: Anticipated to Predict Accurate Hurricane Forecast

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Dec 12, 2016 05:39 AM EST

A rocket will launch from the belly of an airplane tomorrow, sending eight NASA satellites into orbit

On Monday, precisely at 8.24 a.m. EST, NASA will launch its CYGNSS mission on board a Pegasus XL Rocket manufactured by Orbital ATK from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, carrying eight small satellites with the focus on improving the forecasts of hurricane intensity.

The International Business Times states that CYGNSS is an abbreviation for Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System is the constellation of eight small satellite that is going to launch on Monday. The CYGNSS will launch with the focus on  anticipating the wind speeds of the hurricane forming over Earth's Ocean. The satellites will also collect data for air-sea interactions that will help in the better forecast on tropical cyclones which destroyed property worth billions each year.

The eight-satellite constellation will work in harmony with Global Positioning System for its analysis. The Delay-Doppler Mapping Instrument is one of the primary instrument on board which costs $162 Million as per estimates. The primary instrument will capture images of different phases of a cyclone evolution and the intensity anticipation.

A statement released by NASA states that CYGNSS will receive both reflected and direct signatures from GPS Satellites. CYGNSS will intercept direct signals in order to locate its position whereas the reflected signals will notify the observatory about the roughness of the ocean surface where wind speed is the reason.

Based on its orbit calibration, CYGNSS will be able to measure any place in every two or three days, however, the eight satellites constellation will consolidate big data from the tropical oceans every seven hours.

NASA quoted that the Mission will help make accurate measurements of winds and ocean surface through the life cycle of a tropical hurricane and storms and other data for future hurricane forecasts. The International Business Times reported that the CYGNSS Launch will be live-streamed by NASA on NASA TV on Monday from at 7.00 a.m. EST.

The Verge further escalated the timeline of the launch. At 7.11 A.M. EST, the Orbitals Stargazer airplane will taxi on the runway and will take off at 7.26 a.m. EST. The Pegasus rocket carrying CYGNSS satellites will receive clearance from NASA and the time frame for launch will start at 8.19 a.m. EST. The Pegasus rocket will take off precisely at 8.24 a.m. EST. 

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