US: NASA engineers have started working on the first of eight micro-satellites under the Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System (CYGNSS) project. The system, being built at the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio, Texas, is expected to improve hurricane forecasting by making measurements of ocean surface winds in and near the eye wall of tropical cyclones, typhoons and hurricanes throughout their life cycle. Communication antennas, attitude control, GPS receiver, and other instrumentation will be installed on the satellite frame in the coming weeks.
CYGNSS mission — a constellation of eight microsatellites, will allow scientists to probe the inner core of hurricanes from space frequently for the first time, using both direct and reflected signals from existing GPS satellites to obtain estimates of surface wind speeds over the ocean. These measurements will advance forecasting methods by providing data that can lead to better predictions of hurricane tracks, intensities and storm surges.
Source: NASA
