NASA's next generation hurricane-observing satellite is under construction in Texas. NASA's Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System (CYGNSS) mission is a constellation of eight microsatellites that will bring improvements in hurricane forecasting.

Through the mission it will happen for the first time that scientists will be able to investigate the inner core of hurricanes from space. In the mission, scientists will be using both direct and reflected signals from existing GPS satellites to have an idea of surface wind speeds over the ocean.

Scientists said that the measurements will improve forecasting methods and allow better predictions of hurricane tracks, intensities and storm surges. The CYGNSS and GPS satellites will provide new images of wind speeds every few hours and a single satellite will provide a new image every few days.

The CYGNSS mission has lately passed the two important NASA reviews, which has cleared its path of integration, testing and preparation of the microsatellites for flight. Chris Ruf, CYGNSS principal investigator at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, said, "These reviews were a major milestone for CYGNSS, marking the end of the detailed design and planning stages of the mission and the beginning of flight hardware assembly".

Chris also affirmed that they are now in the last phase of their mission before it gets launched. The University of Michigan is heading this mission for NASA. It is also handling satellite design and production and science data processing.

The mission is scheduled to launch in the end of 2016 aboard an Orbital ATK Pegasus XL expendable rocket from Cape Canaveral in Florida. Its operations will start in the 2017 Atlantic hurricane season.