Pegasus XL CYGNSS Prelaunch News Conference

In the Kennedy Space Center’s Press Site auditorium, NASA and industry leaders speak to members of the media during a prelaunch news conference for the agency’s Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System, or CYGNSS, spacecraft. From left are: John Scherrer, CYGNSS project manager for the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio, Texas; and Mike Rehbein, launch weather officer for the 45th Weather Squadron at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. The eight CYGNSS satellites will make frequent and accurate measurements of ocean surface winds throughout the life cycle of tropical storms and hurricanes. The data will help scientists probe key air-sea interaction processes that take place near the core of storms, which are rapidly changing and play a crucial role in the beginning and intensification of hurricanes.