the INvestigation of Convective UpdraftS (INCUS) mission was competitively selected as the 3rd NASA Earth Ventures Mission (EVM-3). INCUS will provide the first tropics-wide investigation of the evolution of the vertical transport of air and water by convective storms (convective mass flux), one of the most influential, yet unmeasured atmospheric processes.
The goal of INCUS is to understand why, when and where tropical convective storms form, and why only some storms produce extreme weather. If you want to learn more about INCUS science see a summary by clicking “Learn More” or watching a seminar given by the INCUS PI, Sue van den Heever.
INCUS will provide a wide range of products to enhance our understanding of convective storm processes and our capabilities to model them in current and future climates.
The INCUS team is comprised of scientists and engineers from 11 universities, 3 NASA laboratories, 2 industry partners, and 7 other meteorological centers, institutes and organizations.
INCUS News
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TIME-SLICE CO Kicks OffOn a warm late spring day in Northern Colorado, a radar groans as it rapidly turns from pointing at one storm to another. That radar is the Colorado State University C-band Hydrological Instrument for Volumetric Observation radar...
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CSU-led satellite mission to study extreme weather moves into construction phaseFrom SOURCE -- A Colorado State University-led effort to study storms and extreme weather from space using small satellites passed a key review by NASA in November 2023...
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INCUS Passes KDP-CINCUS Key Decision Point-C (KDP-C) was held at NASA HQ On November 14, 2023. Congratulations to the INCUS team for successfully passing KDP-C and moving the INCUS mission into Phase C. The move into Phase C confirms the INCUS...
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INCUS Passes Preliminary Design ReviewThe INvestigation of Convective UpdraftS (INCUS), a NASA Earth Ventures Mission led by Colorado State University (CSU) and managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, has passed its Preliminary Design...
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INCUS Mission Spotlighted in 9NEWS ReportDenver-based 9NEWS interviewed INCUS Co-Investigator Kristen Rasmussen about the upcoming NASA/CSU satellite mission, focusing on INCUS's role in understanding thunderstorms from space...
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CBS Colorado Features INCUS MissionKCNC CBS Colorado featured a report on the INCUS mission, and in particular the leadership from Colorado State University, on their 6pm newscast, including interviewing Co-Investigator Kristen Rasmussen...
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INCUS Highlighted in Denver Gazette and by Gov. PolisThe INvestigation of Convective UpdraftS (INCUS), a NASA Earth Ventures Mission led by Colorado State University (CSU) and managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, was highlighted in a recent Denver...
![Benjamin Donitz, an Advanced Design Systems Engineer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, gives a presentation on INCUS at the COmmittee on SPAce Research (COSPAR) 2023 conference on small satellites]()
INCUS Presented at International ConferencesSeveral members of the INCUS Science Team recently gave international presentations on the current developments in the INCUS mission. Susan van den Heever, PI of the INCUS mission, presented on...
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INCUS Team Passes KDP-BThe INCUS Key Decision Point-B was held at NASA HQ On March 14, 2023. Congratulations to the INCUS team for successfully passing the KDP-B and moving the INCUS mission into Phase B. The purpose of Phase B is for the project team to complete the...
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INCUS Team Passes SRR/MDRSandra Cauffman, Chair of the INCUS Science Review Board (SRB), has stated in the INCUS SRB preliminary report that “The SRB conclusion is that the project has passed the SRR/MDR [Science Readiness Review/Mission Design Review].”
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CSU hosts science team meeting for NASA satellite mission INCUSFrom SOURCE-- Before there can be NASA satellite launches, there are planning meetings. Lots of planning meetings. The first such all-hands meeting for the Colorado State...
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CSU-Led Satellite Mission, set to Launch in 2026, was built on giantsFrom SOURCE-- About four and a half years from now, a set of three small satellites - each not much larger than a microwave oven - will launch into low-Earth orbit...
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One Year into the Biden Administration, NASA Looks to FutureFrom NASA-- Over the past year, NASA has made valuable contributions to the Biden-Harris Administration’s goals – leading on the global stage, addressing the...
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NASA greenlights study of tropical stormsFrom the Washington Post-- With human-caused climate change come warmer oceans — and in turn, researchers predict, they'll fuel increasingly destructive storms. But how do tropical storms...
![a conceptual diagram showing three satellites overflying a line of convective clouds, illuminating them with their radar beams]()
CSU atmospheric scientists lead $177 million NASA mission to study thunderstorms in the TropicsFrom SOURCE-- NASA has announced a $177 million Earth science mission led by Colorado State University that...
![Towering cumulonimbus thunderstorm clouds are seen in this photo taken Aug. 15, 2014, looking east toward the Atlantic Ocean from the Space Launch Complex 37 area at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (now Cape Canaveral Space Force Station) in Florida]()
NASA Selects New Mission to Study Storms, Impacts on Climate ModelsFrom NASA-- NASA has selected a new Earth science mission that will study the behavior of tropical storms and thunderstorms, including their impacts on weather and...
