INCUS Mission successfully passes system integration review, another major milestone

The INCUS Mission System Integration Review, held this past week, was a resounding success. INCUS officially passed.

The System Integration Review found that each moving part of the INCUS Mission is coming along on schedule.

“What makes this achievement even more meaningful is the recognition of our team spirit,” said University Distinguished Professor Susan van den Heever, the principal investigator. “The word team was heard often during the review, a sentiment strongly echoed by the SIR evaluation board chair in their closing remarks. This recognition is a powerful validation of what we already know: the INCUS team — across our science and engineering institutions, commercial partners, NASA HQ, and the ESSP Program Office — is more than a collaboration; we are one team. A team defined by exceptional technical skill, deep commitment, and mutual support.”

Now, the team turns focus to Phase D. This is the integration-and-test phase of NASA missions: finalizing construction, integrating spacecraft and instruments, completing testing, preparing for launch, launching and conducting initial operations post-launch. Once they confirm everything is working as intended, the team moves to Phase E — they start collecting new data and information to analyze.

“I’m excited to continue this journey with all of you as we bring INCUS to life and take another big step toward delivering the science that will transform our understanding of storm dynamics and extreme weather,” van den Heever said in a message to her team.