The NASA CYGNSS Mission and its Tropical Cyclone Measurement Capabilities

The CYGNSS constellation of eight miscrosatellites has been in low Earth orbit since December 2016. CYGNSS follows in the footsteps of two previous spaceborne GNSS-R missions, UK DMC and TechDemoSat, flown by Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd., and its receivers are part of the technology development product line produced by SSTL. The two most noteworthy distinctions of the CYGNSS mission, relative to its predecessors, are the use of eight satellites, which produces significantly improved spatial and temporal sampling, and the longevity of the mission (6+ years). Seven of the eight spacecraft continue to operate nominally.