Atmospheric_Waves_Experiment
Atmospheric Waves Experiment
NASA instrument to be mounted on the exterior of the International Space Station
The Atmospheric Waves Experiment (AWE) is a NASA instrument to be mounted on the exterior of the International Space Station (ISS) for the study of atmospheric gravity waves (not to be confused with astrophysical gravitational waves).
AWE was built by the Utah State University Space Dynamics Laboratory, and the mission is led by Michael Taylor of Utah State University.[1] NASA selected AWE as an Explorers Program Mission of Opportunity in February 2019.[2][3] The SpaceX CRS-29 spacecraft carrying AWE was successfully launched on 10 November 2023. Once at the ISS, AWE will be extracted from the trunk section of the Cargo Dragon by the Dextre robotic arm and attached to one of the station's Express Payload Adapter (ExPA), ELC-1 Site 3.[4] After two years of observation at the ISS, AWE will be removed from the station and jettisoned to space, where it will be disposed of by reentering Earth's atmosphere to burn up.[5]