Fri, Dec 31, 2027 (your time) · Launch Area 0 A, Wallops Flight Facility, Virginia, USA
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About INCUS
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.
Orbital Attempt
#7,679
FA Mission
#14
Pad Launch
#20
Location Launch
#94
Firefly Alpha (Firefly α) is a two-stage orbital expendable launch vehicle developed by the American aerospace company Firefly Aerospace to cover the commercial small satellite launch market. Alpha is intended to provide launch options for both full vehicle and ride share customers. The Block 2 version features increased length and structural strength for both stages, optimized propellant tanks and consolidated in-house batteries and avionics.
Length
31.6 m
Diameter
1.82 m
Launch Mass
54 t
Thrust
736 kN
Capacity
1,030 kg
Capacity
630 kg
Launch Cost
$15M
Reusable
No
Total Launches
0
Successful
0
Failed
0
Consecutive Success
0
Firefly Aerospace is an American private aerospace firm based in Austin, Texas, that develops small and medium-sized launch vehicles for commercial launches to orbit.
Founded
2014
Administrator
CEO: Peter Schumacher
Total Launches
7
Successful
4
Failed
3
Pending
7
Consecutive Success
1
LP-0A was first built for the failed Conestoga rocket program. The original launch tower was subsequently demolished in September 2008. A new pad facility was built from 2009 to 2011 for Orbital Sciences Taurus II, now renamed Antares.
Total Launches
19
Orbital Attempts
19
Fastest Turnaround
3mo 15d
Wallops Flight Facility is a rocket launch site on Wallops Island on the Eastern Shore of Virginia, United States, just east of the Delmarva Peninsula and north-northeast of Norfolk. The facility is operated by the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, and primarily serves to support science and exploration missions for NASA and other federal agencies. WFF includes an extensively instrumented range to support launches of more than a dozen types of sounding rockets; small expendable suborbital and orbital rockets; high-altitude balloon flights carrying scientific instruments for atmospheric and astronomical research; and, using its Research Airport, flight tests of aeronautical research aircraft, including uncrewed aerial vehicles.
Timezone
America/New_York
Local Launch Time
Dec 30, 2027, 7:00 PM
Total Launches
87
Total Landings
0
Coordinates
37.9333, -75.4678
Watching in person?Viewing guide for Wallops Flight Facility
Dec 31, 2027, 12:00 AM
Year
2 updates
