NASA's INCUS Mission Progresses Toward 2027 Launch
NASA's INCUS mission, consisting of three coordinated satellites, has completed testing and is on track for launch in 2027 from Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. The mission will conduct the first space-based survey of tropical convective storm dynamics, with each satellite carrying radar to observe vertical air and water motion. The data will help scientists better understand storm development and contribute to NASA's broader Earth System Observatory initiative.
NASA's INCUS (Investigation of Convective Updrafts) mission has reached a significant milestone with one of its three satellites completing testing at Blue Canyon Technologies in Colorado. The three nearly identical satellites will launch together in 2027 and operate in tight coordination in low Earth orbit, with precise spacing of 30 seconds between the first and second satellites and 90 seconds between the second and third. Each satellite carries specialized radar designed to measure convective mass flux—the vertical motion of air and water in storms—while the middle satellite will also carry a microwave radiometer. Led by principal investigator Sue van den Heever at Colorado State University, INCUS is funded through NASA's Earth Venture Mission-3 program and represents a collaborative effort involving NASA centers, universities, and commercial partners as part of the FALCON fleet initiative.
What different sources said
- NASACenter
NASA to Preview Katalyst Mission to Boost Swift Spacecraft’s Orbit
- The RegisterCenter
Race against re-entry: Swift's would-be saviour straps itself to a rocket
- Phys.orgCenter
NASA's INCUS mission on road to launch, study storms from space
- NASA (.gov)Center
NASA to Preview Katalyst Mission to Boost Swift Spacecraft’s Orbit
- Space.comCenter
Satellite-boosting spacecraft inside air-launched rocket | Space photo of the day for June 12, 2026
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