NASA to Launch 'Swarms' of Small, Earth-Observing Satellites

NASA plans to launch a suite of tiny, next-generation satellites into Earth's orbit to study weather patterns and climate change. The space agency hosted a teleconference today (Nov. 7) from its headquarters in Washington, D.C., to discuss some of the new small satellites, or "smallsats," that will launch in the coming months. Ellen Stofan, chief scientist at NASA Headquarters, explained that small satellites can reduce the costs of space-based Earth observations.