INCUS mission nears launch to study tropical convective storms

Teams building the INCUS (Investigation of Convective Updrafts) mission have finished assembly and testing of two of the three SmallSats that will survey the dynamics of tropical convective storms. Testing on the third SmallSat continues, with completion scheduled no earlier than September ahead of a 2027 launch.

The three observatories will fly in low Earth orbit in tight formation, with the first and second separated by 30 seconds and the second and third by 90 seconds. INCUS will observe the sudden, intense lifting of air and water—known as convective mass flux—that drives tropical storms.

Those storms supply more than half of the world’s precipitation while also producing severe weather. The mission aims to improve understanding of where, when and why convective storms form, information that can strengthen forecasts and help communities plan for severe weather and manage freshwater supplies.

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