Overview of Temporal Experiment for Storms and Tropical Systems (TEMPEST) CubeSat constellation mission

The proposed Temporal Experiment for Storms and Tropical Systems (TEMPEST) satellite mission addresses key science needs related to cloud and precipitation processes using a constellation of five CubeSats with identical five-frequency millimeter-wave radiometers spaced 5-10 minutes apart in orbit. This CubeSat constellation will directly observe the time evolution of clouds to study the conditions that control the transition of clouds to precipitation. The TEMPEST millimeter-wave radiometers will penetrate into the cloud to directly observe changes as the cloud begins to precipitate or ice accumulates inside the storm. TEMPEST provides observations at five millimeter-wave frequencies from 90 to 183 GHz using a single compact instrument that is well suited for a 6U CubeSat architecture and fits well within the NASA CubeSat Launch Initiative capabilities.