Serving as part of the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission, an international network of satellites that provide next-generation global observations of rain and snow, the GPM “Core Observatory” satellite carries an advanced radar / radiometer system to measure precipitation from space and serve as a reference standard to unify precipitation measurements from a constellation of research and operational satellites. The GPM mission builds upon the success of the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM).

The research Nanosatellite BGUSAT, the first of Israel, was launched from India in February 2017 as a part of a collaboration between the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and the Aerospace Industries. Nanosatellites are a relatively new category in the field of satellites and space. These tiny satellites only weigh a few kilograms. Thanks to the minimization trend of electronic components, this platform can be instilled with advanced technological abilities for a fairly low price. The satellite is tiny- only 10X30 centimeters, the size of a milk carton, and weighs only 5 kilograms.