Mission description

The Investigation of Convective Updrafts (INCUS) is a NASA Earth science mission led by Colorado State University that will investigate the behavior of tropical storms in order to better represent these storms in weather and climate models. It consists of 3 SmallSats flying in tight coordination to study why convective storms, heavy precipitation, and clouds occur exactly when and where they form. Each satellite will have a high frequency precipitation radar that observes rapid changes in convective cloud depth and intensities. 1 of the 3 satellites also will carry a microwave radiometer to provide the spatial content of the larger scale weather observed by the radars. By flying so closely together, the satellites will use the slight differences in when they make observations to apply a novel time-differencing approach to estimate the vertical transport of convective mass.

— INCUS

Livestream

Attending a launch in person

Launches can be viewed 12 kilometers away at NASA's visitor center for no cost. It has an excellent view and it's free but unfortunately entry isn't guaranteed since they don't offer bookings ahead of time. It's first-come-first-served at the door so come an hour early. It's only available as an option for daytime launches within their regular business hours.

This image shows NASA's recommended viewing areas, I've circled in pink my recommendations, scroll below for more details.

Image: NASA/Jamie Adkins

There are public spots available that are actually closer to the launchpads than the visitor center. The best alternative was previously Arbuckle Neck Road but that's been closed for safety reasons. Best now would probably be:

Old Wallops Island Ferry Dock: Closest public spot, about 4 kilometers from the launchpad (compared to 12 kilometers for their visitor center).

Gargatha Landing: 9 kilometers from the launchpad. A quieter spot.

How to get there

Accomodation

Nearby parking

Agency details

NASA, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, is the United States government agency responsible for the nation's civilian space program and aerospace research. It pioneers space exploration, scientific discovery, and aeronautics research. NASA's missions range from human spaceflight, like the Apollo and Artemis programs, to robotic planetary exploration, such as the Mars rovers, and groundbreaking space telescopes, enhancing our understanding of the universe and advancing technology.