Over the years the technology that offers information on weather prediction has improved, but we are still missing accurate measurements to help us predict how intense the storms are going to be. Now, ten years after Hurricane Katrina, NASA plans to deploy eight microsatellites in space to help forecast incoming hurricanes.
HOW WILL THEY TRACK A HURRICANE?
The microsatellites will orbit 317 miles above the Earth and will be positioned 35 degrees to the equator, measuring the oceans surface winds in the eye of a storm. The first test mission is going to launch in late 2016 from Florida and the Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System (CYGNSS), NASA’s weather prediction project, will be the first to study the interior of a hurricane. This mission is going to provide the space agency with more detailed information on the rapid intensification of the hurricanes.
The technique used in the past to measure wind speed over the oceans is called scatterometry for which a satellite sends a signal to the ground to measure its strength once reflected back. However, this technique is more expensive than the one being developed right now by the University of Michigan, because the microsatellites will only receive signals from GPS satellites already in orbit around Earth. Those signals will bounce off of ocean surfaces measuring the height of waves and the speed of the wind of a hurricane. The data will be shared with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) helping emergency managers make decisions during extreme weather conditions.
NASA HAS STARTED DEVELOPMENT
The eight satellites will extend the range on Earth that can be measured and they are going to be deployed separately around our planet. Also, the first microsatellite, which weighs about 64 pounds, began assembly on August 14th. The other seven are to follow in the next few weeks.
Their initial testing is scheduled for early 2016 and the authorities are hoping that they are going to be fully operational by 2017’s Atlantic hurricane season.
