The agency will launch a Malemute spacecraft with technologies such as a deployment system for tracking winds in space to study the ionosphere; a miniaturized actuator for small spacecraft referred to as cubesats; and improvements in flight systems to increase data reception rates.
In the test’s duration, two payloads with chemical and natural compounds will be burned and released with the intent to avoid any and all health risks with their release in space.
The earth metal byproducts produce a cloud that helps researchers measure the velocity and direction of wind in space and may be seen by residents in the mid-Atlantic region, NASA said.