Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System
The Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System (CYGNSS) is a space-based system developed by the University of Michigan and Southwest Research Institute with the aim of improving hurricane forecasting by better understanding the interactions between the sea and the air near the core of a storm.
| Mission type | Weather research |
|---|---|
| Operator | NASA |
| COSPAR ID | 2016-078A, 2016-078B, 2016-078C, 2016-078D, 2016-078E, 2016-078F, 2016-078G, 2016-078H |
| SATCAT no. | 41884, 41885, 41886, 41887, 41888, 41889, 41890, 41891 |
| Website | cygnss-michigan |
| Mission duration | Planned: 2 years Elapsed: 7 years, 3 months, 25 days |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Manufacturer |
|
| Launch mass | 28.9 kg (64 lb) each |
| Dimensions | 163.5 × 52.1 × 22.9 cm (64.4 × 20.5 × 9.0 in) (L x W x D) |
| Power | 34.7 watts |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | December 15, 2016, 13:37:21 UTC |
| Rocket | Pegasus XL F43 |
| Launch site | Cape Canaveral (Stargazer) |
| Contractor | Orbital ATK |
| Entered service | March 23, 2017 |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Low Earth |
| Semi-major axis | 6,903 km (4,289 mi) |
| Eccentricity | 0.00162 |
| Perigee altitude | 514 km (319 mi) |
| Apogee altitude | 536 km (333 mi) |
| Inclination | 35 degrees |
| Period | 95.1 minutes |
| Epoch | April 15, 2017, 22:21:25 UTC |
| Instruments | |
| Delay Doppler Mapping Instrument | |
In June 2012, NASA sponsored the project for $152 million with the University of Michigan leading its development. Other participants in CYGNSS' development include the Southwest Research Institute, Sierra Nevada Corporation, and Surrey Satellite Technology.
The plan was to build a constellation of eight micro-satellites to be launched simultaneously in a single launch vehicle into low Earth orbit, at 500 km altitude. The program was scheduled to launch December 12, 2016, and then observe two hurricane seasons. Problems with a pump on the launching aircraft prevented this first launch, but a second launch attempt took place successfully on December 15, 2016. In 2022, one of the satellites, FM06, abruptly ceased operations.