{"id":19133,"date":"2016-12-16T00:42:42","date_gmt":"2016-12-15T16:42:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/air-launched-rocket-puts-eight-cygnss-microsatellites-in-orbit-to-study-hurricanes\/"},"modified":"2016-12-16T00:42:42","modified_gmt":"2016-12-15T16:42:42","slug":"air-launched-rocket-puts-eight-cygnss-microsatellites-in-orbit-to-study-hurricanes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/air-launched-rocket-puts-eight-cygnss-microsatellites-in-orbit-to-study-hurricanes\/","title":{"rendered":"Air-launched rocket puts eight CYGNSS microsatellites in orbit to study hurricanes"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"CYGNSS
A photo taken from a NASA F-18 chase plane shows Orbital ATK\u2019s L-1011 Stargazer jet deploying a Pegasus XL rocket to launch eight CYGNSS satellites. (NASA Photo \/ Lori Losey)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

After several days of delays, a squadron of eight microsatellites was sent into orbit by a rocket launched from a high-flying airplane. Their mission? To study the winds that power the heart of a hurricane.<\/p>\n

The launch was originally scheduled for Monday, and then for Wednesday. Each time, technical glitches forced a postponement. But today, it was all systems go as Orbital ATK\u2019s Lockheed L-1011 Stargazer jet took off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Fliroda.<\/p>\n

An hour after takeoff, the airplane released a three-stage Pegasus rocket from an altitude of 39,000 feet. The Pegasus fired up its rocket engines and deployed the eight suitcase-sized satellites into low Earth orbit.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe deployments looked great,\u201d said Southwest Research Institute\u2019s John Scherrer, a project manager for the Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System, or CYGNSS. \u201cRight on time.\u201d<\/p>\n

A few hours later, NASA reported that all eight satellites were in contact with ground controllers and in good health.<\/p>\n