Rocket Like A Hurricane
Rocket Like A Hurricane was a Rocket Lab Electron mission for NASA that launched successfully at 01:00 UTC on 8 May 2023 (1:00 p.m. NZST on 8 May; 9:00 p.m. EDT on 7 May) from Launch Complex 1B on New Zealand's Mahia Peninsula.
01:00 UTC on 8 May 2023 · 1:00 p.m. NZST on 8 May · 9:00 p.m. EDT on 7 May
Mission State
This mission currently has a dated launch window in the tracker.
The primary watch link points to an official Rocket Lab source.
Launch Updates
-
Both TROPICS satellites have deployed from the Electron kickstage
by Jay Source: twitter.com -
Liftoff of Electron carrying 2 NASA TROPICS satellite
by Jay -
Livestream has started
by LL2 Source: youtube.com
Updates via Launch Library 2 (The Space Devs).
Name Origin
Pun on the Scorpions' 1984 anthem "Rock You Like A Hurricane" — "Rock" replaced by "Rocket." Doubly fitting: NASA's TROPICS satellites monitor real hurricane formation.
Mission Overview
Third and fourth operational (TROPICS-04 & TROPICS-05) satellites for NASA's Time-Resolved Observations of Precipitation Structure and Storm Intensity with a Constellation of SmallSats (TROPICS) mission. The CubeSats are designed to provide rapid-refresh microwave measurements that can be used to determine temperature, pressure, and humidity inside hurricanes as they form and evolve.
Technical Details
4
kiwisLaunch data cross-checked against Wikipedia.
Was this a jellyfish launch?
UnlikelySun 32° above the horizon at liftoff — daylight, the sky is too bright.
Details
- Unlikely
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Liftoff
- 1:00 p.m. NZST · 01:00 UTC
- Sunset
- 5:11 p.m. NZST · 05:11 UTC
- Civil dusk (−6°)
- 5:40 p.m. NZST · 05:40 UTC
- Nautical dusk (−12°)
- 6:12 p.m. NZST · 06:12 UTC
- Astronomical dusk (−18°)
- 6:43 p.m. NZST · 06:43 UTC
Twilight times at the pad (Mahia, NZ) for the evening of the launch.
What's a rocket jellyfish? When a rocket launches in twilight, the ground is dark but its exhaust plume climbs into sunlight high above. The expanding plume glows against the dark sky in a jellyfish-like shape.
Space-Object Catalog
| Object | Operator | Built by | Mass | Orbit | Status | NORAD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
TROPICS SV05 2023-062A · Payload | Operator Lincoln Labs, Mass. Inst of Technology | Built by Blue Canyon Technologies Cubesat 3U | Mass 4 kg | Orbit 202 × 213 km · 32.7° | Status Decayed 2025-12-04 | NORAD 56442 |
Electron 36 Kick Stage 2023-062B · Stage | Operator Rocket Lab Ltd. | Built by Rocket Lab Ltd. Kick Stage | Mass 40 kg | Orbit 202 × 212 km · 32.7° | Status Decayed 2025-04-09 | NORAD 56443 |
TROPICS SV06 2023-062C · Payload | Operator Lincoln Labs, Mass. Inst of Technology | Built by Blue Canyon Technologies Cubesat 3U | Mass 4 kg | Orbit 204 × 208 km · 32.7° | Status Decayed 2025-10-25 | NORAD 56444 |
Electron 36 Stage 2 2023-062D · Stage | Operator Rocket Lab Ltd. | Built by Rocket Lab Ltd. Electron St2 | Mass 250 kg | Orbit 204 × 209 km · 35.5° | Status Decayed 2025-10-11 | NORAD 56445 |
