# @nasaartemis on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/BRBD6S3lUM2
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/15345839-nasaartemis-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/thumbnails/13bf314130.jpg
- **Posted:** 2017-02-27T13:23:22.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** NASA Artemis (@nasaartemis) — https://gondola.cc/nasaartemis

## Caption

Hurricane forecasters will soon have a new tool to better understand and forecast storm intensity. A constellation of eight microsatellites, called NASA’s Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System mission, or CYGNSS, got a boost into Earth orbit at 8:37 a.m. EST today, Dec. 15, 2016, aboard an Orbital ATK Pegasus XL rocket. 
The unique, air-launched vehicle was carried aloft by Orbital’s modified L-1011 aircraft, “Stargazer,” which took off from the Skid Strip runway at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida and deployed the three-stage Pegasus XL rocket at a predetermined drop point 39,000 feet above the Atlantic Ocean and about 110 nautical miles east-northeast of Daytona Beach. 
NASA’s F-18 support aircraft was used to provide live coverage of the Orbital ATK L-1011 air-launch of its Pegasus XL rocket carrying CYGNSS. This photo was taken by Armstrong videographer, Lori Losey, as the AFRC F-18 chased Orbital’s L-1011 carrier aircraft. 
Image Credit: NASA/Lori Losey #aircraft #CYGNSS #hurricane #plane #fly #nasa #earth #satellite #rocket #OrbitalATK

## Stats

- **Views:** 0
- **Likes:** 13,625
- **Shares:** 0
- **Comments:** 32

## Tags

aircraft, satellite, plane, earth, nasa, rocket, fly, cygnss, orbitalatk, hurricane

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