NASA has chosen Firefly Aerospace to launch its Investigation of Convective Updrafts (INCUS) mission, a crucial step in understanding storm development. This mission involves three small satellites designed to study cloud convection. The agency awarded Firefly a task order under its Venture-Class Acquisition of Dedicated and Rideshare (VADR) contract on March 4th.
The INCUS mission will utilize three small satellites, each approximately 100 kilograms, built on Blue Canyon Technologies buses. These satellites will be equipped with Ka-band radars to analyze cloud convection. One satellite will also carry a microwave radiometer for tracking broader weather patterns. A unique aspect of this mission is the satellites' formation flying; the second will trail the first by 30 seconds, and the third will follow 90 seconds behind the second, enabling precise measurements of vertical transport within storms.
“We strategically built our one-metric-ton Alpha rocket to support dedicated missions like INCUS,” said Jason Kim, chief executive of Firefly Aerospace. “This allows our customers to place their satellites in the exact orbit they need and use their mission-critical resources to immediately begin conducting research and making advancements in science.”
The launch is slated for as early as 2026 from Pad 0A at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport on Wallops Island, Virginia. Firefly's projections indicate a busy launch schedule, with plans for multiple Alpha launches in 2025 and a significant increase in 2026. The company is currently working on various contracts with significant players in the aerospace industry, including L3Harris and Lockheed Martin. This mission underscores Firefly's increasing prominence in the space launch sector.