Dr Chris Ruf talks about Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System

Current storm tracking schemes are adept at forecasting the path of hurricanes, but lack the capacity to accurately gauge their intensity. A fleet of eight mini-satellites launched by Nasa from Cape Canaveral in Florida in December 2016 could fill this gap. Known as the Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System (Cygnss), the fleet measures surface winds in and near the inner core of tropical systems, including regions that could not previously be measured from space. Each of the low-orbit spacecraft weighs just 64 pounds (24kg), with a 5-foot (1.5-metre) wingspan.